US, Allied Forces Begin Combat Drills  04/20 06:07

   The United States and the Philippines kicked off one of their largest combat 
exercises Monday in an annual display of allied military might aimed at 
deterring aggression in Asia, despite Washington's preoccupation with the war 
in the Middle East.

   MANILA, Philippines (AP) -- The United States and the Philippines kicked off 
one of their largest combat exercises Monday in an annual display of allied 
military might aimed at deterring aggression in Asia, despite Washington's 
preoccupation with the war in the Middle East.

   The large-scale combat drills between the U.S. and Philippines will expand 
this year to include other militaries, including from Japan, France and Canada, 
which have signed visiting forces agreements with Manila, the Philippine 
military said.

   More than 17,000 American and Filipino military personnel will participate 
in the Balikatan -- Tagalog for shoulder-to-shoulder -- exercise. The event 
will last nearly three weeks and will include mock battle scenarios and 
live-fire maneuvers in locations including Philippine provinces facing the 
disputed South China Sea and the Taiwan Strait.

   Nearly 10,000 U.S. military personnel will take part in the combat drills, a 
major deployment that U.S. military officials said underscores Washington's 
commitment to Asia despite its preoccupation with the war against Iran.

   "Regardless of the challenges elsewhere in the world, the United States 
focus on the Indo-Pacific and our ironclad commitment to the Philippines 
remains unwavering," Marine Lt. Gen. Christian Wortman said in the opening 
ceremony.

   Armed Forces of the Philippines chief of staff Gen. Romeo Brawner said the 
multinational combat drills build deterrence and resilience against aggression 
in the region. He did not mention any country in his speech but in the past, he 
has strongly criticized China for its increasingly assertive actions against 
Philippine navy and coast guard forces in the South China Sea, which Beijing 
claims virtually in its entirety.

   The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan also lay claims to the 
waters, a key global trade route, but territorial confrontations have 
particularly spiked between Chinese and Filipino forces in recent years.

   China has objected to the U.S.-Philippine drills, saying they are aimed at 
containing its global rise. The Philippine military, however, has insisted the 
exercise does not target any country and is also needed to prepare allied 
forces to respond to natural disasters.

   The U.S. has repeatedly warned China that it is obligated to defend the 
Philippines, its oldest treaty ally in Asia, if Filipino forces come under an 
armed attack in disputed waters.

   "We remain guided by a shared commitment to uphold international law, to 
respect sovereignty and to contribute to a free and open Indo-Pacific where 
nations can thrive without coercion," Brawner said.

   During the drills, Japanese forces will fire missiles from a coastal area in 
the northwestern Philippine province of Ilocos Norte to help sink a mock enemy 
ship about 40 kilometers (25 miles) away in the peripheries of the South China 
Sea, Philippine marine. Col. Dennis Hernandez told The Associated Press.

   U.S. forces will use a marine drone laden with explosives to further bombard 
the enemy ship, Hernandez said.

   Last year, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth assured Philippine officials 
while visiting Manila that the Trump administration would work with allies to 
ramp up deterrence against threats across the world, including China's 
aggression in the South China Sea.

   "Friends need to stand shoulder to shoulder to deter conflict, to ensure 
that there is free navigation whether you call it the South China Sea or the 
West Philippine Sea," Hegseth told Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.