As two U.S. aircraft carrier battle groups patrolled the Indian Ocean this week in an explicit effort to deter Iran from striking Israel and sparking a major regional conflict, a very different military messaging effort was underway in a luxury conference centre in Manila, APA reports.
The 35th annual Military Law and Operations Conference organised by the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command – running from Aug. 27-30 – is held every year in a different country in the region – but its presence in the capital of the Philippines this week was likely far from a coincidence.
Since late 2023, supply ships from the Philippines have had to run a gauntlet of Chinese patrol boats trying to block them from accessing the disputed Second Thomas Shoal, home to grounded Filipino landing craft the BRP Sierra Madre.
In June, a Filipino marine lost his thumb during a collision with a Chinese vessel in a violent face-off involving Chinese military personnel waving clubs and spears.
More recently, a second and perhaps equally dangerous confrontation has erupted over the nearby Sabina Shoal, where the largest ship in the Philippine Coast Guard, the BRP Teresa Magbauna, has been anchored since April.
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