Fire and Fury: A US-Philippine Drill Sends a Message to the South China Sea

During the current Balikatan joint military exercises, United States and Philippine forces launched twelve rockets towards the South China Sea. Military officials emphasized that this action was not intended to provoke any specific country, despite the increased tensions between Manila and Beijing.

The rockets were deployed at approximately 2 p.m. on Thursday as part of a live ammunition exercise carried out in close proximity to the coastal community of Campong Ulay in Palawan, an island situated adjacent to the South China Sea.

They discharged two M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, a compact multiple rocket launcher with a range of up to 80 kilometers (49.7 miles).

Filipino Army Brigadier General Romulo Quemade II promptly justified the execution of live fire drills in close proximity to a region in the South China Sea where Beijing and Manila have been involved in multiple maritime conflicts regarding territorial claims over the disputed waters.

"We are employing our multi-domain capabilities to safeguard our sovereignty by simulating a threat originating from the sea towards our shorelines," he informed the media.

"We are firing within our maritime zones and territory, which are quite a distance away," he added.

On April 22, a total of over 16,000 troops from the United States and 5,000 troops from the Philippines, together with military forces from Australia and France, convened to commence the annual Balikatan exercises. This year, a portion of the drills are being conducted outside the 12-nautical-mile limit of the Philippines' territorial seas, marking the first occurrence of such an event. The exercises will continue until May 8th.