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Monday, July 7, 2025
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NATO to deploy task force in Indo-Pacific region—Navy

Member nations of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) will deploy a task force to the Indo-Pacific region as a demonstration of support for rules-based order amid China’s assertive actions in the West Philippine Sea, a senior naval official said.

Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad, Philippine Navy spokesperson for the WPS, said the NATO Multinational Task Force will include an aircraft carrier of the United Kingdom.

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“It’s a NATO task force. They will be coming to the Indo-Pacific,” Trinidad said.

“It’s no longer just the ASEAN…it’s already the whole world standing against China, against the Chinese Communist Party, telling them that we will support the stand of the Philippines in the West Philippine Sea, we will support international law in the West Philippine Sea,” he added.

Last year, NATO said it is strengthening dialogue and cooperation with its partners in the Indo-Pacific region.

“In today’s complex security environment, relations with like-minded partners are increasingly important to address cross-cutting security issues and global challenges. The Indo-Pacific is important for the Alliance, given that developments in that region can directly affect Euro-Atlantic security,” it said.

In February, Armed Forces Chief of Staff Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. said Italy, the United Kingdom, and France—all NATO member-nations—have expressed their intention to participate in multilateral patrols in the WPS.

As this developed, the US Marine anti-ship missile system NMESIS (Navy-Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System) will be deployed in this week’s Kamandag Exercises for simulation purposes, the Philippine Marine Corps said Monday.

Commandant Maj. Gen. Arturo Rojas said the highlight of the almost week-long “Kamandag” is the maritime strike where various high-tech weapons will be used.

“We will be using the NMESIS also to be able to learn and sustain what we did in the past Balikatans. The event (live fire), which is included in Kamandag, will be conducted also,” Rojas said.

“The planning has been in place for quite a while now. There’s a scenario-driven exercise where we will conduct operations with the NMESIS, which is a great capability. It extends the commander’s operational reach,” added Col. Jason Armas, commanding officer of the US’ Marine Rotational Force-Darwin 25.3.

The NMESIS was first deployed in Batanes in April as part of the annual joint military exercises between Filipino and American forces, commonly referred to as “Balikatan.”

It is a highly mobile coastal anti-ship missile system designed to strike surface vessels from land-based positions at a distance of about 185 km.

At least 4,000 Filipino and American troops will participate in the weeklong “Kamandag,” an annual bilateral exercise between the Philippine Marine Corps and the US Marine Corps.

On the American side, 2,031 USMC members are involved in the drills.

Editor’s Note: This is an updated article. Originally posted with the headline “NATO to deploy fleet to Indo-Pacific region.”

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