Australia, Philippine, U.S. forces conduct multilateral Maritime Cooperative Activity

Sailors assigned to Whidbey Island-class dock landing ship USS Ashland (LSD 48) uses the ship’s 60-ton crane to lift a crane from the Philippine Navy 3rd Naval Combat Engineer Battalion onto Ashland as part of multilateral Maritime Cooperative Activity (MCA) with the Armed Forces of the Philippines and Royal Australian Navy in Manila, Philippines, April 9, 2026. The U.S. Navy routinely operates with the Armed Forces of the Philippines and partners and allies through MCAs to continually develop, exercise and enhance multi-domain tactical interoperability to uphold peace and security in the region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class John B. Hetherington)