MANILA: The Philippines and the US began their annual joint military drills on Monday, which will, for the first time, include “full battle tests” to simulate real-world combat in the face of regional security concerns, including tensions in the South China Sea.
The exercises, known as Balikatan — Tagalog for shoulder-to-shoulder — will run until May 9 and involve about 14,000 troops, including 9,000 from the US and about 150 Australian forces.
“This is a signature exercise dedicated to maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific and ensuring the defense of the Philippines,” Lt. Gen. James Glynn, commander of US Marine Corps Forces Pacific, said at an opening ceremony. We will push ourselves and our equipment to the edge of our capabilities.”
Glynn described the full battle tests — conducted for the first time since the drills began 30 years ago — as the “purposeful integration of real-world security challenges relevant to the region.”
Throughout the three-week exercise, soldiers from the two militaries will participate in live and simulated training where capabilities of both forces will be measured in numerous scenarios.
Balikatan is “about testing our ability to defend, to de-escalate and to respond together,” Glynn said.
This year, the drills will also feature an array of US weapons that include the NMESIS anti-ship missile system and HIMARS rocket launchers.
More than a dozen countries are sending observers to the drills, including first-timers such as Poland, the Czech Republic and the Netherlands.
The exercises take place at a time of continued tension in the South China Sea between China and the Philippines, which have been involved in frequent maritime confrontations in recent years.
Manila and Beijing have overlapping claims in the resource-rich waterway, a route for much of the world’s commerce and oil.
China has been increasing its military activity over the past few years, with the Chinese Coast Guard regularly encroaching on the Philippine part of the waters, the West Philippine Sea, despite a 2016 ruling by an international tribunal in The Hague dismissing Beijing’s expansive claims.
The Philippines, meanwhile, has been steadily deepening its defense cooperation with other countries, including treaty ally the US, since President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. took office in 2022.
“Balikatan is not against any nation,” said Maj. Gen. Francisco Lorenzo Jr., Balikatan exercise director from the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
“It is joint training with the US to increase our capability to secure our territory. It enhances our responsiveness and deters possible incursions or invasions.”
The drills this year will emphasise interoperability across domains, including maritime and air defense, and stretch from Palawan to the northern Luzon islands — areas facing the South China Sea and Taiwan.
“During this year’s Balikatan, we underscore our drive to modernize the armed forces of the Philippines, enhancing interoperability with our allies and reinforce the comprehensive archipelagic defense concept,” said AFP chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr.
“It is our way of ensuring that the AFP remains a capable, agile and forward-thinking force, prepared to defend and ready to respond and poised to lead.”
