Warship patrols Philippine seas The USS Bonhomme Richard, an amphibious assault ship of the US Seventh Fleet, has been patrolling the Philippine Sea since July 1, according to a photo essay posted on the official blog of the US Navy on Sunday. On patrol. The amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6) off the coast of California. One photo, datelined Philippine Sea and dated July 1, showed the warship being replenished by oiler USNS Yukon and an article in the 7th Fleet’s website said it departed Sasebo, Japan on June 25 to patrol its area of responsibility in the Asia and Pacific region. “The forward-deployed amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard completed embarkation of Marines from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit in support of joint force operations in the US 7th Fleet area of responsibility,” the article said. The spokesmen of the armed forces and the Philippine Navy declined to make any comment on the issue. But the Philippine and US military have been engaged in various troops and naval exercises in the Philippine Sea and land installations in the past several months. The war games have become more frequent following a territorial dispute between the Philippines and China over several atolls and small islands in the Philippine Sea. Last week, the Philippines has also established ties with Japan as a possible ally against China. During its patrol, the USS Bonhomme was loaded with “more than 100 vehicles and 300 pieces of equipment from the 31st Marine Expeditionary unit ground combat element, aviation combat element, logistics combat element, and command element,” the article said. Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin has met with Japanese Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera last week and discussed plans for a joint aerial exercises using the US MV-22 tilt rotor aircraft. Gazmin said the Philippines planned to forge ties with Japan based on the Visiting Forces Agreement, which will give Japanese forces greater access to military bases and facilities in the country
Posted on: Sat, 13 Jul 2013 06:42:34 +0000
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