Philippines, U.S. launch joint military drills
By Pam CASTRO
The Philippine and U.S. militaries on Monday kicked off three weeks of joint exercises that will simulate a "full-scale battle scenario", as the two allies seek to deter Beijing's ambitions in the disputed South China Sea.
As many as 17,000 personnel are expected to take part in the annual "Balikatan", or "shoulder to shoulder" drills, which for the first time will include an integrated air and missile defense simulation, to be attended by President Ferdinand Marcos.
Sophisticated U.S. weapons including the NMESIS anti-ship missile system will also be deployed, including near a crucial chokepoint in the waters separating the northern Philippines from self-ruled Taiwan.
"We will demonstrate not just our will to uphold our mutual defense treaty in existence since 1951 but our matchless capability to do so," U.S. Marine Corps Lieutenant General James Glynn said at Monday's opening ceremony in Manila.
"Nothing builds bonds more quickly than shared adversity," he said, without specifying a common threat.
Philippines Major General Francisco Lorenzo added that the 40th Balikatan exercises would reinforce the country's ability to address "contemporary security challenges".
The Philippines has been engaged in months of confrontations with Beijing over disputed areas of the South China Sea.
It has steadily deepened defense cooperation with treaty ally the United States since Marcos took office in 2022 and began pushing back on China's sweeping claims to the crucial waterway.
During a recent visit to Manila, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Washington was "doubling down" on the alliance.
"Deterrence is necessary around the world, but specifically in this region, in your country -- considering the threats from the Communist Chinese," he said in late March.
In response to the drills, Beijing accused Manila of "collusion with countries outside the region".
The exercises "undermine regional strategic stability", said foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun.
"This has already aroused strong aversion and opposition from regional countries," he said.
Last year's Balikatan featured tests of the U.S. Typhon mid-range missile system.
The Philippine Army subsequently said it was planning to acquire the Typhon, sparking warnings from China of a regional "arms race".
On Monday, Glynn said the Typhon system would again be present, along with the Marine Air Defense Integrated System, or MADIS, a short-range platform specializing in knocking out drones.
The Philippines' Chief of Staff Romeo Brawner said last month that Manila was seeking to upgrade its arsenal, with more missile systems, warships and fighter jets.
On April 2, the United States said it had approved the possible sale of $5.58 billion in long-coveted F-16 fighter jets to the Philippines, though Manila said the deal was "still in the negotiation phase".
A week later, the Philippines took possession of the first of two corvette-class warships with "advanced weapons and radar systems" acquired in a deal with South Korea's Hyundai Heavy Industries.
China considers Taiwan part of its sovereign territory and has vowed to bring it under Beijing's control one day.
Given the Philippines' proximity to Taiwan and its surrounding waters, Manila's cooperation would be crucial in the event of any U.S. conflict with China.
On April 1, as Chinese ships and warplanes surrounded the self-ruled island in a simulated blockade, Brawner said his country would "inevitably" be involved should the democracy be invaded.
While Manila later said Brawner's comments were primarily referencing efforts to retrieve Filipino workers in Taiwan, its Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement with Washington gives U.S. forces access to nine bases in the Philippines.
Asked about Taiwan on Monday, Lorenzo said Balikatan could potentially "help deter" a conflict over the island.
Both the U.S. and Philippine militaries, however, stressed that this year's war games would not address a potential Chinese invasion.
Besides the United States, countries including Australia and Japan are sending smaller contingents to Balikatan.
© 2025 AFP
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Kyodo News
3 days ago
- Kyodo News
US and Philippines discuss more missile system deployments as tensions rise in South China Sea
MANILA - The United States is discussing the possible deployment of more missile launchers to the Philippines to strengthen deterrence against aggression in the disputed South China Sea and other Asian security hotspots, but no final decision has been reached by both sides, Manila's ambassador to Washington said Thursday. The U.S. military delivered a mid-range missile system called the Typhon, a land-based weapon that can fire the Standard Missile-6 and the Tomahawk Land Attack Missile, to the northern Philippines as part of joint combat exercises in April last year. That was followed by the transport by the U.S. military of an anti-ship missile launcher in April this year to the northernmost Philippine province of Batanes, just a sea border away from Taiwan. Beijing strongly protested the installation of the U.S. missile systems, saying they were aimed at containing China's rise and warning that these would threaten regional stability. China has asked the Philippines to withdraw the missile launchers from its territory, but officials led by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. had rejected the demand. Ambassador Jose Manuel Romualdez said without elaborating that the possible deployment by the U.S. of more Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System or NMESIS missile launchers "was being discussed for consideration by both sides.' The anti-ship missile systems could be installed along Philippine coastal regions facing the South China Sea and outlying regions to beef up deterrence against aggression, he said. 'This is part of the strong U.S. and Philippines defense partnership,' Romualdez told The Associated Press. Romualdez spoke on the sidelines of a trade and investment conference in Manila, where he and Philippine Foreign Secretary Theresa Lazaro encouraged major U.S. companies to invest in a wide array of industries — from energy and telecommunications to infrastructure and navy shipbuilding — in the Philippines, the oldest treaty ally of the U.S. in Asia. 'When U.S. companies invest here, it's not just about returns on capital — it's about returns on alliance,' Romualdez told U.S. business executives at the conference. 'A stronger Philippine economy means a more capable and reliable defense partner for the United States.' 'At a time when America is diversifying supply chains and rethinking global strategy, we are a natural choice – and a strategic necessity,' Romualdez said. 'I ask you to carry this message to the Trump administration: `Every U.S. dollar invested in the Philippines strengthens America's position in the Indo-Pacific.'' U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth flew to Manila in March in his first visit to Asia and said the Trump administration would work with allies to ramp up deterrence against threats across the world, including China's increasingly aggressive actions in the South China Sea. The U.S. was not gearing up for war, Hegseth said then, but underscored that peace would be won 'through strength.' China claims virtually the entire South China Sea. The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan also have overlapping claims to the resource-rich and busy waters, but confrontations have spiked between Chinese and Philippine coast guard and naval forces in recent years. On Wednesday, the U.S. briefly deployed two warships in what it called a 'freedom of navigation' operation off the disputed Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea where two Chinese navy and coast guard ships collided earlier in the week while trying to drive away a smaller Philippine coast guard vessel. The high-seas accident sparked alarm among Asian and Western countries. 'Freedom of navigation is essential for the trillions of dollars worth of commerce that passes through these waters,' the U.S. ambassador to the Philippines, MaryKay Carlson, told reporters on the sidelines of the Manila investment conference. 'It's about commerce. It's about lives and livelihoods.'
Japan Today
3 days ago
- Japan Today
U.S. and Philippines discuss more missile system deployments as tensions rise in South China Sea
FILE - A US Marine Air Defense Integrated System, or MADIS, fires at a drone during a live-fire joint Philippines US military exercise at the Philippine Navy training camp in San Antonio, Zambales province, northern Philippines Sunday, April 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila, File) By JIM GOMEZ The United States is discussing the possible deployment of more missile launchers to the Philippines to strengthen deterrence against aggression in the disputed South China Sea and other Asian security hotspots, but no final decision has been reached by both sides, Manila's ambassador to Washington said Thursday. The U.S. military delivered a mid-range missile system called the Typhon, a land-based weapon that can fire the Standard Missile-6 and the Tomahawk Land Attack Missile, to the northern Philippines as part of joint combat exercises in April last year. That was followed by the transport by the U.S. military of an anti-ship missile launcher in April this year to the northernmost Philippine province of Batanes, just a sea border away from Taiwan. Beijing strongly protested the installation of the U.S. missile systems, saying they were aimed at containing China's rise and warning that these would threaten regional stability. China has asked the Philippines to withdraw the missile launchers from its territory, but officials led by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. had rejected the demand. Ambassador Jose Manuel Romualdez said without elaborating that the possible deployment by the U.S. of more Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System or NMESIS missile launchers "was being discussed for consideration by both sides.' The anti-ship missile systems could be installed along Philippine coastal regions facing the South China Sea and outlying regions to beef up deterrence against aggression, he said. 'This is part of the strong U.S. and Philippines defense partnership,' Romualdez told The Associated Press. Romualdez spoke on the sidelines of a trade and investment conference in Manila, where he and Philippine Foreign Secretary Theresa Lazaro encouraged major U.S. companies to invest in a wide array of industries — from energy and telecommunications to infrastructure and navy shipbuilding — in the Philippines, the oldest treaty ally of the U.S. in Asia. 'When U.S. companies invest here, it's not just about returns on capital — it's about returns on alliance,' Romualdez told U.S. business executives at the conference. 'A stronger Philippine economy means a more capable and reliable defense partner for the United States.' 'At a time when America is diversifying supply chains and rethinking global strategy, we are a natural choice – and a strategic necessity,' Romualdez said. 'I ask you to carry this message to the Trump administration: `Every U.S. dollar invested in the Philippines strengthens America's position in the Indo-Pacific.'' U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth flew to Manila in March in his first visit to Asia and said the Trump administration would work with allies to ramp up deterrence against threats across the world, including China's increasingly aggressive actions in the South China Sea. The U.S. was not gearing up for war, Hegseth said then, but underscored that peace would be won 'through strength.' China claims virtually the entire South China Sea. The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan also have overlapping claims to the resource-rich and busy waters, but confrontations have spiked between Chinese and Philippine coast guard and naval forces in recent years. On Wednesday, the U.S. briefly deployed two warships in what it called a 'freedom of navigation' operation off the disputed Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea where two Chinese navy and coast guard ships collided earlier in the week while trying to drive away a smaller Philippine coast guard vessel. The high-seas accident sparked alarm among Asian and Western countries. 'Freedom of navigation is essential for the trillions of dollars worth of commerce that passes through these waters,' the U.S. ambassador to the Philippines, MaryKay Carlson, told reporters on the sidelines of the Manila investment conference. 'It's about commerce. It's about lives and livelihoods.' © Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
NHK
05-08-2025
- NHK
Japan-US training exercise could involve new US missile system
Japan's Ground Self-Defense Force has announced it will hold a large-scale training exercise next month at locations across the country with the US military. The Resolute Dragon field exercise is aimed at coordinating maneuvers for the defense of Japan's remote islands. The Ground Self-Defense Force says this year's exercise runs from September 11 through 25. It will be held in the Kyushu region including Okinawa Prefecture, the northernmost prefecture of Hokkaido, and Ioto, also known as Iwojima. The scale of the exercise will be one of the largest ever. About 12,000 personnel from the Ground, Maritime and Air Self-Defense Forces and roughly 1,900 US personnel from the Marine Corps and other forces are set to take part. They plan to conduct live-fire drills with the Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force's rocket system and the US military's artillery rocket system. Officials say deployment of the US military's NMESIS anti-ship missile system at Camp Ishigaki in Okinawa is under consideration. The idea appears to be aimed at strengthening deterrence, mindful of China's increased military activities. But deployment of the new missile system could draw protests from locals.
