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US, Allied Forces Begin Combat Drills 04/20 06:07
The United States and the Philippines kicked off one of their largest combat
exercises Monday in an annual display of allied military might aimed at
deterring aggression in Asia, despite Washington's preoccupation with the war
in the Middle East.
MANILA, Philippines (AP) -- The United States and the Philippines kicked off
one of their largest combat exercises Monday in an annual display of allied
military might aimed at deterring aggression in Asia, despite Washington's
preoccupation with the war in the Middle East.
The large-scale combat drills between the U.S. and Philippines will expand
this year to include other militaries, including from Japan, France and Canada,
which have signed visiting forces agreements with Manila, the Philippine
military said.
More than 17,000 American and Filipino military personnel will participate
in the Balikatan -- Tagalog for shoulder-to-shoulder -- exercise. The event
will last nearly three weeks and will include mock battle scenarios and
live-fire maneuvers in locations including Philippine provinces facing the
disputed South China Sea and the Taiwan Strait.
Nearly 10,000 U.S. military personnel will take part in the combat drills, a
major deployment that U.S. military officials said underscores Washington's
commitment to Asia despite its preoccupation with the war against Iran.
"Regardless of the challenges elsewhere in the world, the United States
focus on the Indo-Pacific and our ironclad commitment to the Philippines
remains unwavering," Marine Lt. Gen. Christian Wortman said in the opening
ceremony.
Armed Forces of the Philippines chief of staff Gen. Romeo Brawner said the
multinational combat drills build deterrence and resilience against aggression
in the region. He did not mention any country in his speech but in the past, he
has strongly criticized China for its increasingly assertive actions against
Philippine navy and coast guard forces in the South China Sea, which Beijing
claims virtually in its entirety.
The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan also lay claims to the
waters, a key global trade route, but territorial confrontations have
particularly spiked between Chinese and Filipino forces in recent years.
China has objected to the U.S.-Philippine drills, saying they are aimed at
containing its global rise. The Philippine military, however, has insisted the
exercise does not target any country and is also needed to prepare allied
forces to respond to natural disasters.
The U.S. has repeatedly warned China that it is obligated to defend the
Philippines, its oldest treaty ally in Asia, if Filipino forces come under an
armed attack in disputed waters.
"We remain guided by a shared commitment to uphold international law, to
respect sovereignty and to contribute to a free and open Indo-Pacific where
nations can thrive without coercion," Brawner said.
During the drills, Japanese forces will fire missiles from a coastal area in
the northwestern Philippine province of Ilocos Norte to help sink a mock enemy
ship about 40 kilometers (25 miles) away in the peripheries of the South China
Sea, Philippine marine. Col. Dennis Hernandez told The Associated Press.
U.S. forces will use a marine drone laden with explosives to further bombard
the enemy ship, Hernandez said.
Last year, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth assured Philippine officials
while visiting Manila that the Trump administration would work with allies to
ramp up deterrence against threats across the world, including China's
aggression in the South China Sea.
"Friends need to stand shoulder to shoulder to deter conflict, to ensure
that there is free navigation whether you call it the South China Sea or the
West Philippine Sea," Hegseth told Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
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