The continuing harassment of China Coast Guard (CCG) reached an unprecedented level in late March 2024 when three (3) Filipino troops on a replenishment mission were wounded after CCG cutters 21555 and 21551 attacked by water cannons the civilian wooden-hulled supply boat Unaizah May 4 carrying passengers and supplies intended for the Philippine stranded ship BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin…
The 2023 budget deliberations and recent legislative hearings once more brought to the fore their observation about our present inability to confront intrusions into the West Philippine Sea and the Philippine Rise. One senator urged “the government to expedite the buildup of defense forces in the WPS.” Another congressman was advocating to stress lethality in the development of this force….
Notably preceded and followed by major military movements, I wonder what would be the impact on RP’s claim on certan islands and sea areas in the SCS. Alfred Thayer Mahan (1840-1914), graduate of the US Naval Naval Academy, wrote of the interdependence of military might and seaborne commerce, “whoever controls the sea lanes controls the islands; who controls islands controls…
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The 2016 ruling of Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) did not dissuade China from conducting activities to demonstrate its military might in South China Sea (SCS), and its obvious disregard for rules-based international order. It dispatched a naval task group in the area in early 2017 consisting of an aircraft carrier and several surface and subsurface combatants for naval drills….
“Great Powers, Grand Strategies: The New Game in the South China Sea,” edited by Anders Corr (U.S. Naval Institute Press, 2018), is a good read because it puts the South China Sea conflict into a global strategic context. In so doing, it looks at the movements of China well within the EEZ of Philippine coasts, a topic dear to my heart,…
Transas has introduced a new Survival Craft Simulator (SCS) to prepare crew for the multitude of possible scenarios that can occur during lifeboat drills, aiming to address one of the most notorious sources of accidents in shipping without exposing personnel to physical danger. Effective survival craft training is essential to prepare crew for a disaster at sea but practical lifeboat…