The Philippines and the United States will stage their biggest-ever military exercise over the next several days starting Tuesday and signal tighter defense cooperation, amid China’s increasing assertiveness in the South China Sea and toward Taiwan.
Observers from other countries allied with the United States will also take part in this year’s Balikatan.
Balikatan spokesperson Col. Michael Logico said in a recent press conference that this year’s exercise would involve “venturing outside traditional training areas,” usually in landlocked venues, to further test interoperability and readiness in the drills.“When we’re training with the Americans, it’s an opportunity for us to learn something new. We can always train by ourselves… but there’s a certain limit to what you can learn.
The Philippine Army, a ground-based force traditionally focused on fighting insurgency, recently wrapped up the first phase of the “Salaknib” exercise with its US counterpart, which focused on the “defense of the archipelago from potential foreign aggressors” by applying lessons learned from the Russia-Ukraine war.Retired Armed Forces chief Emmanuel Bautista said the Balikatan and Salaknib drills have evolved in response to threats posed by an increasingly powerful China.
Chinese man-made military outposts off Palawan capable of launching missiles and fighter aircraft also pose a “direct threat” to the archipelago because of their proximity, Bautista noted. “We have the absolute, inalienable right to defend our territory. We are here to show that we are combat-ready,” Logico said.Singapore-based regional security expert Collin Koh said the exercises suggested the Philippine military’s shift toward external defense, not just to address evolving threat perceptions but also because of new capabilities it acquired through its modernization.
The drills also follow the official announcement of four new locations under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement , allowing the expansion of American military presence from the five existing sites under the deal signed in 2014.
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