Thousands of military personnel from Australia and the Philippines will conduct military drills for the first time.

Defence Minister Richard Marles will travel to Malaysia and the Philippines on a visit to coincide with HMAS Canberra and HMAS Anzac arriving to conduct bilateral drills as part of Exercise Alon.

Alon will bring together ships, aircraft and more than 2500 personnel, including approximately 1200 from Australia, 1200 from the Philippines and 150 US marines stationed in Darwin.

The exercises will include complex air, land and maritime training.

Exercise Alon is part of Indo-Pacific Endeavour 2023 – Australia’s flagship regional engagement exercise that includes visits to 14 countries over four months.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said two navy vessels sailing close to disputed waters in the South China Sea alongside Japanese vessels, as part of Indo-Pacific Endeavour, hadn’t heightened regional tensions.

“This is business as usual – Australia conducts activities in our region,” he told reporters in Melbourne on Monday.

Mr Marles will meet his Malaysian counterpart Mohamad Hasan and Philippines counterpart Gilberto Teodoro.

He said his trip underlined Australia’s commitment to Southeast Asia and supporting “a more peaceful, stable and prosperous region”.

“I look forward to visiting Malaysia and the Philippines and working with our partners to ensure our region continues to support our collective security and prosperity,” he said.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong will also be in the region this week, travelling to Vietnam to co-host the fifth annual foreign ministers’ meeting.

Senator Wong and her counterpart Bui Thanh Son will discuss economic and security ties.

Discussions are also set to span climate change, education, trade and investment.

The Foreign Minister will also attend an “Australian big barbecue” event and meet with the Australian-Vietnamese community.

Australia has also deployed 23 defence force personnel and three policy advisors to South Korea as part of annual United Nations supported drills that have been running since 2010.

The personnel will simulate crisis scenarios and enhance the readiness of South Korean and US forces on the Korean peninsula.

Deputy Chief of Joint Operations Air Vice-Marshal Michael Kitcher said the routine exercise would “strengthen our ability to meet shared challenges in the Indo-Pacific”.

The military drills also include Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.

-AAP