U.S. Naval Institute Staff – October 2, 2026 12:13 PM
Follow working map on the link below
https://slgusni.github.io/maps/westpacpulse10022026.html
The following is a summary of major ship movements and exercises in the Western Pacific over the last week.
In the Malacca Strait
Destroyer USS Carl M. Levin (DDG-120) transited north through the Malacca Strait on Tuesday. The destroyer transited the Singapore Strait the day before. Carl M. Levin is now operating in the Indian Ocean. Homeported in Hawaii, Carl M. Levin is forward deployed and assigned to Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 15
In Singapore
Royal Navy offshore patrol vessel HMS Tamar (P233) is docked in Singapore for maintenance.
Tamar and sister ship HMS Spey (P234) will participate in the Five Power Defense Arrangement (FPDA) exercise Bersama Lima, which runs from Oct. 12-21. The exercise will take place around the waters and airspace of Malaysia and Singapore. Both Tamar and Spey have been forward deployed to the Indo-Pacific since 2021.
Near Scarborough Shoal
The PLA Southern Theater Command ran readiness drills around Scarborough Shoal on Sunday and Wednesday. Sunday’s drills included a PLAN Jiangdao-class corvette, PLAN fleet oiler CNS Qinghaihu (885) and a WZ-7 Soaring Dragon Unmanned Aerial Vehicle being deployed, according to a video released by the command. A second video shows the Soaring Dragon UAV and a People’s Liberation Army Air Force KJ-500 airborne early warning and control aircraft taking off as PLAN frigate CNS Tongliao (554) and corvette CNS Tianman (631) operate in the area.
A video of Wednesday’s drills shows a pair of PLAAF J-16 fighters escorting a PLAAF H-6 bomber over Scarborough Shoal and a KJ-500 AWEC flying separately over the shoal as PLAN frigate CNS Bayannur (551) patrols the area.
Philippine Navy frigate BRP Antonio Luna (FFG-15) was monitored by a PLAN warship. Footage of a Philippine Air Force (PAF) F-27 Maritime patrol Aircraft, a Philippine Coast Guard C-208 aircraft and a Pa-31 aircraft was overlaid with audio from PLAN frigate CNS Yulin (569) warning the PA-31 that China held undisputable sovereignty over Scarborough Shoal and its adjacent waters.
“The so-called award of the South China Sea Arbitration Case is an illegal, invalid piece of waste paper. Any claims or actions made by your side based on such ‘award’ will be null and void,” the video said.
The drills were in response to the ADMM PLUS Maritime Security Joint Cooperative Activity held in Subic Bay near Scarborough Shoal from Sept. 20-26.
In the South China Sea
Royal New Zealand Navy fleet oiler HMNZS Aotearoa (A11) carried out a replenishment-at-sea evolution with Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force helicopter destroyer JS Ise (DDH-182) on Saturday in the South China Sea. Both ships previously participated in the ADMM PLUS Maritime Security Joint Cooperative Activity.
Saturday’s refueling was the first time Aotearoa has refuelled a JMSDF ship.
Ise returned Wednesday to its homeport of Sasebo, Japan. Aotearoa with frigate HMNZS Te Mana (F111) form the Royal New Zealand Navy Task Group and are currently on deployment in South East Asia.
On Sunday, Royal Canadian Navy frigate HMCS Regina (FFH334) joined Aotearoa, Te Mana and Royal Australian Navy frigates HMAS Stuart (FF153) and HMAS Perth (FFH157) for a joint replenishment-at-sea in the South China Sea. Regina is on deployment under Operation Horizon, the Canadian Armed Forces’ ongoing presence and engagement deployment to the Indo-Pacific. Stuart and Perth are on separate Regional Presence Deployments, the Australian Defense Force’s annual deployment in the Indo-Pacific.
In Tanjung Priok, Indonesia
The Russian Navy Pacific Fleet surface action group docked Wednesday in Tanjung Priok, Jakarta, for a port visit until Sunday. The surface action group includes destroyers RFS Marshal Shaposhnikov (543) and RFS Admiral Tributs (564) and fleet oiler Pechenga. The strike group left Sept. 10 from Vladivostok for an Asia Pacific deployment.
Italian Navy multi-purpose combat ship ITS Giovanni delle Bande Nere (P434) also arrived Wednesday at Tanjung Priok, Jakarta, for a port visit until Monday. Giovanni delle Bande Nere is homeward bound following its Indo-Pacific deployment.
In Benoa, Bali
RAN destroyer HMAS Sydney (DDG-42) docked Sunday in Benoa, Bali, for a port visit. Sydney is on the end leg of a deployment that saw it participate in the Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2026 and Pacific Dragon 2026 exercises in Hawaii and exercise Pacific Vanguard 2026 in Guam.
In Kijing Port, West Kalimantan, Indonesia
Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force amphibious tank landing ship JS Kunisaki (LST-4003) and three Japan Ground Self-Defense Force CH-47 helicopters completed their mission combatting forest fires in Indonesia on Tuesday.
In Tacloban City, Philippines
The U.S. Navy-led humanitarian and disaster preparedness mission Pacific Partnership 2026 (PP26) concluded its final mission stop in Tacloban City, Leyte, Philippines, on Monday. PP26 ran from June 1 to Sept. 29. The mission included stops in Vietnam, Indonesia, Timor-Leste, Malaysia and the Philippines, in addition to two enduring efforts in Fiji and Palau, reads a Navy news release.
In the Philippines on Sept. 21, 376 service members from the U.S. and partner nations, including Canada, Germany, Japan, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom, collaborated with the Armed Forces of the Philippines to conduct more than three dozen activities along four lines of effort: engineering, disaster management, host nation outreach events and medical.
In Guam
Destroyer USS Wayne E. Meyer (DDG-108) departed Saturday from Naval Base Guam having made a short visit on the same day. Wayne E. Meyer, homeported in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, is forward deployed and assigned to DESRON 15.
In Saipan
Destroyer USS Benfold (DDG-65) pulled into Saipan over the weekend, arriving on Saturday and departing on Sunday, according to a report by NMI News Service. Benfold, homeported in Everett, Wash., is forward deployed and assigned to DESRON 15.
In Okinawa, Japan
Amphibious transport dock USS San Diego (LPD-22) and Littoral Combat Ship USS Canberra (LCS-30) docked on Thursday in White Beach Naval Facility, Okinawa, Japan, for a port visit. Prior to docking, Canberra carried out Navy-Marine integration training with a Marine Corps AH-1Z Viper helicopter, attached to Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron (HMLA) 367, landing on its flight deck.
In Yokosuka, Japan
Cruiser USS Robert Smalls (CG-62) departed Saturday from Commander, Fleet Activities Yokosuka for a permanent homeport change to San Diego. The cruiser conducted mooring operations offYokosuka on Sept.24 and the following day sailed south through the Uraga Channel, which connects Tokyo Bay with the Sagami Gulf and Pacific Ocean, according to local ship spotters.
Fast attack submarine USS Toledo (SSN-769) pulled into CFAY on Tuesday and departed on Thursday, according to releases by the Yokosuka City Council and local ship spotters.
In the Tsushima Strait
Russian Navy corvette RFS Rezkiy (343) transited northeast through the Tsushima Strait on Sunday and Monday. The corvette was previously sighted at Sept. 25 sailing northeast around 80 kilometers – 50 miles – south of Yonaguni Island. The corvette subsequently sailed northeast between Yonaguni Island and Iriomote Island to enter the East China Sea on Saturday and then headed to the Tsushima Strait.
JMSDF fleet oiler JS Towada (AOE-422) shadowed the Russian corvette while it sailed in the vicinity of Yonaguni Island. Fast attack craft JS Shirataka (PG-829) shadowed Rezkiy while it transited through the Tsushima Strait, according to a Japan Joint Staff Office release.
This post was written by Dzirhan Mahadzir.
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