AFP says rotation and resupply mission to troops at BRP Sierra Madre ''flawless''
The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) successfully executed a "flawless rotation and resupply mission" for the troops stationed at BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal.
This was confirmed by AFP spokesperson Colonel Francel Margareth Padilla in her official X (twitter) account on Friday.
"Mission accomplished! Today, we executed a flawless rotation and resupply operation for BRP Sierra Madre. Teamwork, precision, and dedication at its best,” she said.
It was one of the rare times that the mission took place with incident after Chinese ships tried to block Philippine vessels from resupplying troops on board a grounded military vessel.
In his ''X" account, retired US Air Force Col. Raymond Powell, Sealight Director at Stanford University's Gordian Knot Center for National Security Innovation said there seems to be no resistance from China during the RoRe mission.
"The Philippines resupply of BRP Sierra Madre at 2nd Thomas Shoal today seems to have encountered virtually no resistance from China," he said.
"Of course there are certainly AIS dark vessels we can't see but those we can detect have kept their distance," he added.
A source from the military previously confirmed an airdrop operation to deliver supplies for the troops in Ayungin Shoal last month after RoRe was suspended when one of the vessels used for the mission experienced technical difficulty.
Sources confirmed that the military use a Philippine Navy aircraft during the air drop operation at 8:49 am last January 21.
China criticized the airdrop operation. Robina Asido/DMS
