Philippines launches ‘surface action groups’ to strengthen South China Sea patrols and defence

Experts however, warn that Manila’s strategy of having several warships patrolling at once could strain resources and leave the navy vulnerable to targeted attacks

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The Philippine Navy’s BRP Jose Rizal, a guided-missile frigate, is docked at Subic Bay. Photo: Jeoffrey Maitem

Published: 3:00pm, 24 Jan 2025

The Philippine Navy has unveiled a bold new strategy to patrol the contested South China Sea with coordinated groups of warships, aiming to enhance territorial defence and deterrence. However, experts caution the move could stretch their resources and expose vulnerabilities.

Announcing the move on Wednesday, Captain John Percie Alcos, spokesman for the Philippine Navy, said lone-ship or “lone wolf” operations would give way to “surface action groups” of several warships patrolling at once to “cover more of our areas and jurisdiction”.

The shift aligns with the Comprehensive Archipelagic Defense Concept (CADC), Manila’s new strategy designed to protect the country’s exclusive economic zone, and maritime territories, while enhancing its war-fighting capabilities, Alcos said, adding that most Philippine offshore combat ships have “anti-submarine warfare capabilities”.

Using SAGs could strengthen the navy’s presence in the contested waters of the West Philippine Sea – Manila’s term for the South China Sea within its exclusive economic zone – but analysts warn it could decrease overall coverage capabilities and leave ships vulnerable to targeted assault.

China claims most of the South China Sea, rejecting rival claims from the Philippines and other countries, as well as a 2016 international arbitration ruling that its assertion over the waterway had no legal basis.

Beijing has previously been accused of aggressive actions against Philippine vessels in the disputed waterway by using water cannons, high-intensity lasers, and conducting illegal patrols within Manila’s exclusive economic zone.