Philippines South China Sea

United States Coast Guard Pacific Area Deputy Commander Rear Adm. Jeffrey W. Novak, center, speaks beside Philippine Coast Guard Commandant Admiral Ronnie Gil Gavan, left, Rear Admiral Bandit Chuen-im, Deputy Chief of Staff, Office of the National Maritime Interests Protection Command of Thailand during the Southeast Asia Maritime Law Enforcement Initiative (SEAMLEI) Commander's Forum held in Makati City, Philippines, Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

From left, Colonel Asep Budiman, head of the Command and Control Center of the Indonesian Coast Guard, First Admiral Maritime Datuk Che Engku Suhaimi bin Che Engku Daik, deputy director of the Maritime Security Surveillance Division of the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency, Rear Adm. Allen J. Dalangin, commander of the Philippine Coast Guard's (PCG) Maritime Security Law Enforcement Command; Philippine Coast Guard Commandant Admiral Ronnie Gil Gavan, United States Coast Guard Pacific Area Deputy Commander Rear Adm. Jeffrey W. Novak, Rear Admiral Bandit Chuen-im, Deputy Chief of Staff, Office of the National Maritime Interests Protection Command of Thailand, and Sr. Col. Tran Xuan Luong, head of Vietnam delegation link arms during the Southeast Asia Maritime Law Enforcement Initiative (SEAMLEI) Commander's Forum held in Makati City, Philippines, Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

On the dais from left, Colonel Asep Budiman, head of the Command and Control Center of the Indonesian Coast Guard, First Admiral Maritime Datuk Che Engku Suhaimi bin Che Engku Daik, deputy director of the Maritime Security Surveillance Division of the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency, Rear Adm. Allen J. Dalangin, commander of the Philippine Coast Guard's (PCG) Maritime Security Law Enforcement Command; Philippine Coast Guard Commandant Admiral Ronnie Gil Gavan, United States Coast Guard Pacific Area Deputy Commander Rear Adm. Jeffrey W. Novak, Rear Admiral Bandit Chuen-im, Deputy Chief of Staff, Office of the National Maritime Interests Protection Command of Thailand, and Sr. Col. Tran Xuan Luong, head of Vietnam delegation answers questions from reporters during the Southeast Asia Maritime Law Enforcement Initiative (SEAMLEI) Commander's Forum held in Makati City, Philippines, Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)