US plans naval drill with the Philippines near Huangyan

A source with the Malaysian military told the Global Times Thursday the US is sending a large naval force to a joint exercise near Huangyan Island in the South China Sea to be held next week.

The Naval forces of the Philippines and the US will hold a joint exercise from June 27 to July 2, the Philippine military said Thursday.

The six-day exercise, dubbed Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training or CARAT, will be held about 60 nautical miles east of Huangyan Island, said spokesman for the Philippine Navy Gregory Fabic.

The Malaysian military source told the Global Times the US is sending a record number of troops to the naval maneuvers, including a recently deployed littoral combat ship, which is one of US' major future battleships.

The Philippine side will send a ship and 500 personnel for the exercise, while the US will dispatch four ships along with 500 men.

The two sides will also deploy an unspecified number of aircraft for the exercise. Meanwhile, the Philippine Coast Guard will also send a ship, aircraft and a special operations team.

The CARAT is an annual exercise with the navies of nine countries taking part, including the US, Brunei, Malaysia and the Philippines, the source said.

"However, this year the US is sending a record-high naval force and various types of fleets, and will conduct a number of exercises," the source said.

The US will send their Task Force 73 with its Pacific Fleet, a team of some 1,200 people including the navy and Marine Corps, and most importantly it is sending to the exercise the littoral combat ship USS Freedom (LCS 1), which was deployed this year in Singapore.

"The exercise is projected to counter-terrorism, maritime security operations, disaster response and even humanitarian missions," Fabic said.

War games are scheduled two to three years ahead of the event, said Fabic, when asked if the exercises were scheduled to strengthen the US-Philippines alliance in relation to the latter's standoff with China that began last year.

He added that it aims to increase the level of inter-operability between the Philippine Navy and the US Navy in the conduct of combined naval operations.

This year's exercise will also include practical exercises such as anti-submarine activities and underwater blasting, the source added.