The Philippines and the United States must focus on four separate areas to modernize their military alliance, starting with a common understanding of their policies and priorities, Defense Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. said Thursday.
LIVE FIRE. A US Marine fires a Javelin anti-tank weapon system during the live exercise as part of the US-Philippines Balikatan joint military exercise at Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija, while a Filipino and US Army soldier wait for their turn. Inset shows a US soldier in sniper camouflage taking position at a static display of equipment. AFP
The third area, Galvez said, required increased intelligence sharing and cooperation to address challenges facing both countries.“Fourth, we must improve interoperability between our forces to better coordinate and conduct joint activities,” he said.The increased military cooperation between the two countries comes as China pushes its territorial claims in the disputed South China Sea with an aggressive military buildup.
Under a plume of black smoke, three cars parked on scrubland were crushed by missiles fired from about 600 meters away by three soldiers at a military base in the north of the Philippines. Philippine Army chief Lieutenant-General Romeo Brawner praised the “effectivity” of Javelins against Russian tanks and armor in the Ukraine war, adding Manila plans to acquire the weapon in the future.
Nearly 18,000 troops are taking part in the annual exercises, which for the first time will include the sinking by live fire of a decommissioned Philippine navy warship in the South China Sea, waters that Beijing claims almost entirely. The officials also urged Beijing to comply with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea , the 2016 Arbitral Ruling, and the Code of Conduct for the South China Sea.
“We have to uphold the Constitutional mandate of peace as the instrument of national policy or the abandonment of war as an instrument of national policy,” she said. Senator Robin Padilla, on the other hand, said he is heartened by the resumption of talks this May between the Philippines and China for joint oil and gas exploration in the West Philippine Sea.
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