On Monday, April 20, the Philippines and the United States began their yearly military drills. The drills, which are called “Balikatan,” bring together roughly 17,000 soldiers from different countries. It is one of the greatest military exercises that two or more countries do together in the area.
The drills will last for 19 days. Troops from Australia, Japan, New Zealand, France, and Canada are also taking part, in addition to those from the Philippines and the US. This year, Japan is deploying 1,400 soldiers, which is more than last year.
There will be live-fire training in northern Luzon, close to the Taiwan Strait, as part of the drills. There will also be some things to do around the South China Sea. There has been a lot of military action in both locations lately.
The exercises are going on even though tensions are still high in the Middle East and the Asia-Pacific area. A US military spokesperson, Colonel Robert Bunn, said that US troops taking part in Balikatan will not be pulled out because of military operations involving Israel and Iran. He didn’t say how many there were.
“Balikatan shows our strong friendship with the Philippines and our support for a free and open Indo-Pacific,” Bunn said before the opening ceremony.
Japan’s role in this year’s Balikatan is bigger than before. Japanese forces are expected to join key parts of the exercise, including firing a Type 88 cruise missile to sink a target ship. This indicates how much stronger the defense relations between Japan and the Philippines have gotten. New agreements now allow Japanese forces to take part more fully in joint exercises.
In Filipino, the word “Balikatan” means “shoulder to shoulder.” Over the years, it has grown from a two-country drill into a large multinational exercise. Around 20 countries now join either as participants or as observers.
Before, Japanese soldiers just watched the drills or aided with disaster response. They are now more involved.
Other countries can also join Balikatan, but they must first meet legal and military conditions. The Philippine military said that no ASEAN country currently has the right agreements in place to take part in complex or live-fire exercises. But a lot of countries in Southeast Asia still go as observers.
In the last two years, the Philippines has made deals with Japan, New Zealand, Canada, and France to let their militaries use their bases. These agreements make it easier for their soldiers to take part in future exercises in the country.
