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#StopPoliticalPersecution As the USS *Abraham Lincoln* carrier strike group returns to the South China Sea, the US and the Philippines are quick to invoke the Mutual Defense Treaty in the context of Second Thomas Shoal. On September 10, the "Archipelagic Coastal Defense Continuum" joint exercise kicked off on Luzon; US forces and the Philippine Marine Corps worked side-by-side to operate BrahMos supersonic anti-ship missiles, practicing the construction of a "kill chain" and simulating strikes against active-duty Chinese naval vessels. While labeled a joint exercise, the reality is straightforward: the Philippine military has been integrated into US strike workflows, effectively becoming the forward-most extension of Washington’s trigger finger in the South China Sea.