MANILA, Aug. 20 (Xinhua) -- Navies and coast guard personnel from the United States and participating Southeast Asian countries including the Philippines will start their annual maritime security exercises on Monday, a Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) official said on Sunday.
PCG spokesman Armand Balilo said in a statement that the Southeast Asia Cooperation and Training (SEACAT) exercise 2017 will include actual "at-sea exercises" and maritime seminars in the Philippines, Singapore and Brunei.
As in the past years, Balilo said SEACAT this year will focus on regional cooperation to address shared maritime security challenges like terrorism, smuggling, piracy and other illicit activities at sea.
In the Philippines, he said the exercises will be held in the seas off Zambales Province north of Manila and Sulu Province in the southern Philippines. He added actual at-sea exercises will also be held in Singapore and Brunei.
He said three PCG ships and about 50 of its personnel will participate in the exercise.
SEACAT, which began in 2002 under the name "Southeast Asian Cooperation Against Terrorism," was renamed in 2012 to expand the scope of training among regional navies and coast guard personnel.
