Philippine and United States forces, joined by participants from six nations, conducted near-simultaneous military exercises in and around the Philippines in October 2024.
Exercise Sama Sama, a Filipino phrase meaning togetherness, expanded in its eighth iteration to include training on shore and in waters off the northern Philippines, building on a legacy of Philippine-U.S. maritime collaboration. Part of the U.S.’s Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training series, it involved about 1,000 Sailors, Marines and other personnel from the host nations, along with Australian, Canadian, French and Japanese forces.
Training encompassed medicine, legal operations, engineering, logistics and public affairs, according to the U.S. Navy. High-intensity drills focused on anti-submarine, anti-surface and anti-air warfare.
The exercise emphasized addressing security challenges with cooperation and joint operations, Col. Xerxes Trinidad, a spokesperson for the Armed Forces of the Philippines, said as Sama Sama opened October 7.
“These activities not only focused on combat readiness but also on humanitarian assistance and disaster response, integral aspects of modern naval operations,” he added.
Beginning in mid-October, the Philippine-U.S.-hosted exercise Kamandag united more than 2,000 military personnel, including from Australia, Japan, the Republic of Korea and the United Kingdom. France, Indonesia and Thailand sent observers.
In its eighth year, Kamandag enhances combined operational proficiency in areas including special operations, coastal defense, and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, Philippine Marine Corps spokesperson Mary-ann Domacena said.
Derived from the Tagalog phrase for “cooperation of the warriors of the sea,” Kamandag strengthens readiness, partnership and interoperability. Participating forces enhance joint capabilities and demonstrate commitment to collective defense, Philippine Marine Corps Commandant Maj. Gen. Arturo Rojas said.
“Kamandag is more than just defense. It is about building trust, fostering cooperation, and reinforcing the partnerships that allow us to maintain peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific,” Rojas added.
The exercise came amid tension in the South China Sea. A People’s Republic of China maritime militia boat deliberately sideswiped a Philippine Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) vessel patrolling near Thitu Island in October 2024, according to BFAR. It was the latest in a yearslong spate of Chinese Communist Party (CCP) aggression in the waterway, about 90% of which Beijing claims as its territory despite a 2016 international tribunal ruling invalidating the assertion.
Conducted over 10 days in northern Luzon near Taiwan, central Luzon, Manila, Cavite and South China Sea-facing Palawan, Kamandag launched after the CCP’s single-day military exercises encircling self-governed Taiwan, which Beijing also claims as its territory and threatens to annex by force.
The concurrent, multinational military training in and around the Philippines exemplifies growing partnerships across the region.
In late September 2024, Australia, Japan, New Zealand, the Philippines and the U.S. conducted a maritime cooperative activity in the South China Sea near Luzon. It included enhanced exercises to improve interoperability, the Philippine News Agency reported.
In October, Australian and Philippine Soldiers conducted exercise Kasangga with training including urban operations, close combat, casualty care and cybersecurity.
