21 October 2022
Manila – The Australian maritime task group of HMA Ships Hobart and Stalwart docked in Manila harbour for a five-day port visit as part of Indo Pacific Endeavour 2022 (IPE22). IPE is Australia´s annual flagship naval regional engagement activity since 2017, which demonstrates Australia’s commitment to strengthen military partnerships and support for an open, inclusive, and resilient Indo-Pacific region.
The port visit comes after the bilateral at-sea naval exercise ‘Lumbas’ between Australia and the Philippines where Australian and Filipino vessels engaged in a series of manoeuvres focused on advanced training, multilateral engagement, and capacity-building.
Australian Ambassador to the Philippines HK Yu PSM remarked “I am very pleased to have HMAS Hobart and Stalwart as part of IPE22 in the Philippines. As one of Australia’s closest defence partners, we have a shared interest in maintaining peace and stability in the region. We value this opportunity to work with the Philippines to ensure we achieve that.”
Meanwhile Commander of the IPE22 Task Group, Commodore Mal Wise, said “With our longstanding defence engagement with the Philippines, we are keen to leverage IPE22 to strengthen our cooperation, exchange ideas on key issues, and reinforce our interoperability.”
As part of IPE22’s visit to the country, Australia is working with the Philippines to conduct a series of activities, including maritime security workshops, humanitarian and disaster relief training, and gender, peace, and security leadership networking. These activities will not only strengthen the ties between the Australian and Philippine defence forces but also with the civil maritime sector.
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