American and Filipino forces have launched their largest combat exercises in years in a show of allied firepower that will include joint sails with the French navy and a ship-sinking drill near the disputed South China Sea that has alarmed Beijing
U.S. Marine Corps Lieutenant General William Jurney, U.S. Exercise Director speaks during the opening ceremonies of the"Balikatan" or Shoulder-to-Shoulder at Camp Aguinaldo military headquarters in Quezon City, Philippines on Monday April 22, 2024.
The Philippine military said a key focus of this year’s drills is territorial defense. “We’re dead serious about protecting our territory — that’s why we do these Balikatan exercises,” Col. Michael Logico, who speaks for the Philippine military on the combat drills, told The Associated Press.and his administration has repeatedly warned that the United States is obligated to defend the Philippines, its oldest treaty ally in Asia, if it is attacked.
Philippine military chief of staff Gen. Romeo Brawner, who opened the exercises in a ceremony, said that as Pacific coastal nations, the United States and the Philippines “understand the importance of maritime cooperation in addressing the complex challenges that threaten peace and security in our region.”
China specifically opposed the transport of a U.S. ground-launched missile system to the northern Philippines ahead of the exercises. No missile would be fired but the aim was to build familiarity among military participants with the hi-tech weaponry in a tropical setting.
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