US Sends One of Its Last Wooden Minehunters to Philippine Maritime Cooperative Activity

The United States Navy deployed USS Warrior, an Avenger-class mine countermeasures vessel, for a maritime cooperative activity with Philippine naval and coast guard ships in October 2026. Participants included the Philippine Navy's BRP Miguel Malvar and the Philippine Coast Guard's BRP Melchora Aquino, conducting coordinated operations within the Philippines' exclusive economic zone. Warrior belongs to an aging minehunter class built with a low-magnetic-signature wooden hull to support mine-countermeasures missions. Its participation demonstrates maritime coordination with Philippine partners, but the reported activity does not establish that live mines were detected or cleared during the exercise.