US, PH to sink another mock enemy ship in annual war games

Photo taken in 2018 shows American and Filipino soldiers simulating a raid during the joint US-Philippine military exercise Balikatan at the Naval Training Exercise Command in San Antonio, Zambales. (INQUIRER FILE PHOTO)

MANILA, Philippines — For the second time, the annual war games between the Philippines and United States will involve the sinking of a mock enemy ship in a show of force amid escalation of disputes in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).

Col. Michael Logico, executive agent of the Balikatan 2024, also confirmed in a regular press briefing in Camp Aguinaldo on Tuesday that the sinking exercise (sinkex) will re-use a decommissioned Philippine Navy vessel which was shelved after it ran aground last year. 

In July 2023, the former BRP Lake Caliraya ran aground off Bataan, but an American contractor retrieved the ship to be used for this exercise.

A day before it ran aground, it was supposed to be used as a mock target for a bilateral marine exercise between Manila and Washington, but the drills were canceled due to inclement weather.

Logico, when asked if there will be another sinking exercise this year, said: “We will have the same, actually we call it the maritime strike exercise so it will still involve the same concept of sinking a vessel as our target.”

In 2023’s Balikatan, a decommissioned Philippine Navy corvette called BRP Pangasinan sank off San Antonio town in Zambales or 235 kilometers away from Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal.

This year, Logico said the sinking drills will be conducted in another location, which could not yet be identified. 

“The sinkex will be happening in another location; that location I will announce later after I have briefed some senior leaders,” Logico said.

The first sinking drills were successful, but an aerial interloper ventured into the airspace of San Antonio town, which caused a delay.