Philippine, US, French ships depart for Balikatan MME in West Philippine Sea

Filipino, American, and French naval ships departed Puerto Princesa, Palawan on Thursday for a multilateral maritime exercise (MME) in the West Philippine Sea as part of this year's Balikatan exercises.

The participating vessels include the BRP Ramon Alcaraz and BRP Davao Del Sur from the Philippine Navy, USS Harpers Ferry from the US Navy, and FS Vendemiaire from the French Navy.

Over several days, the navies are conducting various activities including communications exercises, cross-deck landing, division tactics, photo exercise, and maritime search and rescue drills in waters off Palawan before sailing within the Philippines' exclusive economic zone.

After the scheduled drills, France's FS Vendemiaire and the Philippines' BRP Ramon Alcaraz will conduct a bilateral sail in the West Philippine Sea.

The exercises aim to enhance interoperability between allied forces and test new military equipment acquired by the Philippines, while also serving as a demonstration of maritime security within the Indo-Pacific region.