August 28, 2025 | 9:33am

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines, Australia, and Canada deployed warships and air assets off Scarborough Shoal on Wednesday, August 27, in an exercise that had the three Navy forces practice working together to fend off simulated air threats. 

The drills marked the conclusion of Exercise Alon 2025, a two-week multinational exercise where Philippine and Australian forces together “practiced multi-domain warfighting,” including joint sails in the West Philippine Sea.

For Wednesday’s drills staged east of Scarborough Shoal, the participating ships — the Philippine Navy’s BRP Jose Rizal (FF150), the Royal Australian Navy’s HMAS Brisbane (DDG41), and the Royal Canadian Navy’s HMCS Ville de Québec (FFH332) — sailed from El Nido, Palawan, before heading north to the tense waterways. 

The forces conducted two major serials: an Air Defense Exercise (ADEX), which tested defensive tactics against simulated aerial threats, and a Photo Exercise (PHOTOEX), which showcased precision sailing and naval coordination among the three allies. 

“As a key component of Exercise ALON 2025, this engagement reaffirms the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ commitment to advancing defense cooperation with like-minded nations,” the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said in a statement.

Wednesday’s show of force near Scarborough Shoal comes over two weeks after Chinese vessels ploughed into each other while chasing down a Philippine Coast Guard ship and carrying out “dangerous maneuvers” in the area.

It was the latest in a string of escalatory actions by Beijing in the West Philippine Sea, the part of the South China Sea that falls within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone. 

Exercise Alon, which brought together over 3,600 military personnel from the Philippines and Australia, with the additional participation of the Royal Canadian Navy and the United States Marine Corps, will conclude Friday, August 29. 

The multilateral naval exercise was first held in 2023, the same year the Philippines and Australia elevated their ties to a strategic partnership.