Philippines, US to hold joint naval exercise in South China Sea

The Naval forces of the Philippines and the United States will hold joint exercise near China's Huangyan Island in South China Sea from June 27 to July 2, Philippine military said Thursday. The Six-day exercise, dubbed Cooperation Afloat Readiness Training or CARAT, will be held at sea area about 60 nautical miles east of Huangyan Island, said Philippine Navy spokesman Gregory Fabic. The Philippine side will send a ship and 500 personnel for the exercise, while the U.S. side will dispatch four ships along with 500 men. The two sides will also deploy unspecified number of aircrafts for the exercise. Meanwhile, the Philippine Coast Guard will also send a ship, aircraft and a special operations team. "The Exercise is projected to counter-terrorism, maritime security operations, disaster response and even humanitarian missions," Fabic said.