US, Filipino forces show firepower at sea

San Antoni, The Gulf Observer: American and Filipino forces sank a ship with a barrage of high-precision rockets, airstrikes and artillery fire in their largest war drills on Wednesday in Philippine waters facing the disputed South China Sea.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. watched the American show of firepower from an observation tower in the coastal town of San Antonio in northwestern Zambales province, the latest indication of his strong backing of the Philippines’ treaty alliance with the U.S.

Marcos has ordered his military to shift its focus to external defense from decades-long domestic anti-insurgency battles. The shift in the Philippine defense focus is in sync with the Biden administration’s aim of reinforcing an arc of alliances in the Indo-Pacific region.