Manila, April 26 -- The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) is eyeing to further increase its interoperability with Australia's military following the visit of a ranking official of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) on Friday.

In a statement, Col. Xerxes Trinidad said ADF deputy chief of joint operations Rear Admiral Justin Garred Jones made a courtesy visit to acting AFP deputy chief of staff Lt. Gen. Steve Crespillo at the AFP headquarters in Quezon City.

In their meeting, Crespillo thanked Australia for promoting regional stability and security.

"We thank you for supporting us in promoting our maritime domain awareness and enhancing our presence in the South China Sea, considering it to be one of our national challenges. We seek ...