Australia, Philippines, US conduct multilateral maritime cooperative activity

The combined forces of Australia, the Philippines, and the United States conducted a multilateral maritime cooperative activity (MCA) within the Philippines' exclusive economic zone from August 19 to 25.

The US Navy said the MCA, "continues a demonstrated collective commitment to strengthening regional and international cooperation in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific."

As the 10th MCA of 2026, this exercise expanded capabilities at sea by incorporating and refining shared specialised procedures and maritime doctrines.

The seven-day exercise also focused on tactical interoperability, featuring visit, board, search and seizure; search and rescue; deck landing qualifications; vertical replenishment; replenishment-at-sea; and anti-submarine warfare (ASW). This iteration built upon the ASW serials developed and refined in previous MCAs.