MANILA HOLDS DRILLS WITH U.S.
Annual exercises held near Taiwan and the South China Sea
THOUSANDS of Filipino and American troops kicked off joint military exercises in the Philippines yesterday. The annual drills — dubbed Balikatan, or “shoulder to shoulder” in Tagalog — will concentrate on the northern and western parts of the archipelago nation, near the potential flashpoints of the South China Sea and Taiwan.
China has claimed almost the entire waterway, which is a key route for international trade.
“We’re going to show the people of the Philippines and the world that we’ve gotten better and we’re never going to stop doing so,” Lieutenant-General William Jurney, commander of the Pacific US Marine Corps Forces, said at the opening ceremony in Manila.
“When we get better, the Philippines gets stronger, safer and more secure.”
In response to China’s growing influence, the US has been bolstering alliances with countries in the Asia-Pacific region.
Washington and Manila are treaty allies and have deepened their defence cooperation since Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr took office in 2022.
While the Philippines is poorly armed, its proximity to the South China Sea and Taiwan makes it a key partner for the US in the event of a conflict with China.
“The purpose of the armed forces is to prepare for war,” Philippine Colonel Michael Logico told reporters ahead of the drills.
The Philippine Coast Guard will join the drills for the first time following several confrontations between its vessels and the China Coast Guard, which patrols reefs off the Philippines’ coast.
The joint drills include a simulation of an armed recapture of an island in Palawan province, the nearest major Philippine landmass to the hotly disputed Spratly Islands.
The same exercise will be held in the northern provinces of Cagayan and Batanes, both less than 300km from Taiwan.
Like last year, there will be a sinking of a vessel off the northern province of Ilocos Norte.
The US has deployed its Standard Missile-6 guided missiles to the Philippines for Balikatan, but Logico said the weapons would not be used in the drills.
The exercises, which will run until May 10, will involve around 11,000 American and 5,000 Filipino troops, as well as Australian and French military personnel.
France, which is participating in Balikatan for the first time, will deploy a warship that will take part in a joint exercise with Philippine and US vessels.
Fourteen countries in Asia and Europe will join as observers.
In another first, the drills will go beyond the Philippines’ territorial waters, which extend 22km from its coastline, Logico said.
Philippine military chief General Romeo Brawner said the joint execise was an “extraordinary opportunity for us to deepen our collaborations with friends, partners and allies”.
“Cooperation and military-to military-collaboration play vital roles in ensuring a safer global community.”