The annual Balikatan exercise between the US and the Philippines is the latest development in the effort to tighten the alliance between the two countries.
On April 22, the US and the Philippines launched an annual military exercise called Balikatan, meaning “shoulder to shoulder”. The exercise, which will last for three weeks and will end on May 10, comes amid escalating diplomatic tensions and increased confrontations in the South China Sea between the Philippines and China in recent months. according to Reuters news agency.
Highlights of the exercise
This year’s Balikatan exercise brings together more than 16,000 US and Philippine soldiers. France and Australia also sent troops to participate in the exercise. According to AFP news agency, France will for the first time deploy a warship to participate in joint exercises with Philippine and US ships. In addition, 14 countries in Asia and Europe will also participate as observers.
Representatives of the US and Philippine militaries at the opening ceremony of the annual Balikatan exercise on April 22 in Manila (Philippines). Photo: X
This year’s exercises took place mainly in the north and west of the Philippines, close to the “hot spots” of the East Sea and Taiwan. In addition, the Balikatan exercise took place for the first time outside Philippine territorial waters, according to the University of California. Colonel Michael Logico – who represents the Philippine army in the exercise.
This year, the joint exercise will include a simulation of the armed reconquest of an island in Palawan province (western Philippines). Similar exercises will be held in the provinces of Cagayan and Batanes (northern Philippines). Similar to last year, this year’s exercise will also include the sinking of ships off the coast of Ilocos Norte province (northern Philippines). In addition, other activities will be related to information warfare, maritime security, missile defense and air defense integration.
This year’s exercise also saw the participation of six ships of the Philippine Coast Guard for the first time. Another notable point is the participation of the US medium-range strategic missile system, also known as Typhon, with a range of up to 2,500 km. The US military shipped the system to the Philippines this April and this is the first such deployment in the Indo-Pacific, according to the Financial Times.
Philippine news agency PNA quoted the head of the Armed Forces of the Philippines – Mr. Romeo Brawner that “Balikatan”, literally “shoulder to shoulder”, is evidence of the efforts of the Philippines and the US to strengthen cooperation. cooperation, dedication and common intention to enhance the interoperability of the two countries’ military forces.
US and Philippine officials said that during the Balikatan exercise, the two countries’ forces will only carry out logistics exercises with Typhon, such as quickly moving the launch system when threatened, but there will be no launches. .
The US and the Philippines both said the exercise was not aimed at any country but that the main purpose was to improve interoperability between the two countries’ militaries. “Exercises at those locations take place based on international order and international law… We are conducting normal exercises” – US Lieutenant General William Jurney said.
The Philippine military said the main focus of this year’s exercise is territorial defense. “We are extremely serious about defending our territory – that’s why we carry out these Balikatan exercises” – Col. Logico told the Associated Press.
The US-Philippines have closer maritime links
This year’s Balikatan exercise received great attention because of its nature, scale and geographical location, especially taking place in the context of the US and the Philippines becoming more and more closely linked in maritime security issues. sea. Since Philippine President – Mr. Ferdinand Marcos Jr. As leader of the Philippines in 2022, this Southeast Asian country has sought to strengthen its treaty alliance with the United States.
Notable developments in recent Washington-Manila relations include the first trilateral US-Japan-Philippines summit on April 11 at the White House, in which Washington recommitted to its steadfast alliance. America with both Japan and the Philippines. The United States also regularly states that it will uphold Washington’s “firm commitment” to defend Manila in the event that its forces come under armed attack.
US President Joe Biden (right) and Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. at the White House (USA) on April 11. Photo: INQUIRER
In early April, the US, the Philippines, along with Japan and Australia, conducted multilateral exercises in the area that these countries call the “Philippine exclusive economic zone”. In 2023, the Philippines will allow the US to access 4 more bases. military bases under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) between the two countries, bringing the total number of bases that the US is currently allowed access to to 9. Also last year, the two countries agreed to resume joint patrols on the East Sea.
Regarding this year’s Balikatan exercise, observers say this move is intended to show US support for its allies in the context of Manila and Beijing escalating confrontation in the East Sea in recent months, according to the newspaper. South China Morning Post. The Philippine Coast Guard accused the Chinese Coast Guard of repeatedly blocking Philippine supply ships and firing water cannons at them, especially off Co May Bank (in Vietnam’s Truong Sa archipelago).
Meanwhile, expert Joshua Espeña – Vice President of the Agency for International Security Cooperation and Development (Philippines) said that the Balikatan exercise brings many opportunities for the Philippines’ military modernization efforts, according to the newspaper. USNI News. And Mr. Collin Koh – security analyst at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (Singapore) said that the key point drawn from the Balikatan exercise for the Philippine military is “an appreciation of the need for modern combat capabilities,” not limited to equipment. According to Mr. Koh, such exercises allow for interoperability capacity building between the Philippine and US militaries.
However, some Chinese experts believe that the above exercise is intended to send a signal to Beijing, according to South China Morning Post. Expert Tran Tuong Mieu of the National Institute for East Sea Studies (China) said that the location of the exercise “shows that US-Philippine exercises are increasingly targeting China” and through the exercise In this battle, the US is sending a deterrent signal to Beijing.
| China strongly criticized the US-Philippine exercise The annual Balikatan military exercise between the US and the Philippines faced a harsh reaction from China. At a regular press conference on April 17, commenting on this planned exercise, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said Beijing expressed concern about the US move and Philippines, according to the content of the press conference posted on the Chinese Foreign Ministry website. Mr. Lam emphasized that the Philippines “needs to be fully aware that by bringing countries outside the region into the East Sea to show off its power and cause confrontation, tensions could worsen and the region will only become poorer.” more stable”. At the press conference the next day, reacting to the US bringing the Typhon missile system to the Philippines, Mr. Lam expressed Beijing’s deep concern about the deployment of the missile system “right on China’s doorstep”. “We call on the US to seriously respect the security concerns of other countries, stop causing military confrontation, stop undermining peace and stability in the region, and take concrete actions. possible to minimize strategic risks” – Mr. Lam declared. |
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The US military brought a medium-range attack missile system to the Philippines for the first time as the two countries kicked off a series of annual military exercises this month.
