Philippines, US launch annual joint military drills

As fears of a conflict rise due to Beijing’s increasing assertiveness in the area, joint military drills involving thousands of Filipino and American troops will begin in the Philippines on Monday.

The yearly exercises, known as “shoulder to shoulder” or Balikatan in Tagalog, will primarily take place in the country’s northern and western regions, close to Taiwan and the South China Sea, two possible hotspots.

Important for international trade, China claims practically the whole waterway and also regards Taiwan, which is controlled by itself, as part of its territory.

The United States has been strengthening its ties with nations in the Asia-Pacific area, especially the Philippines, in reaction to China’s expanding influence.

As treaty friends, Washington and Manila have strengthened their defense collaboration since the election of Ferdinand Marcos as president of the Philippines in 2022.

Despite having little weaponry, the Philippines would be an important ally of the United States in the case of a conflict with China because of its closeness to Taiwan and the South China Sea.

“The purpose of armed forces, why we exist, is really to prepare for war,” Philippine Colonel Michael Logico told reporters ahead of the drills.

“There’s no sugarcoating it… for us not to prepare, that’s a disservice to the country.”

After multiple run-ins between its vessels and the China Coast Guard, which monitors reefs off the Philippine coast, the Philippine Coast Guard will finally join Balikatan.

The combined exercises simulate an armed takeover of an island in the Philippine province of Palawan, which is the closest significant landmass to the contentiously contested Spratly Islands in the South China Sea.

Less than 300 kilometers (180 miles) from Taiwan, in the northern provinces of Cagayan and Batanes, the identical drill will take place.

There will be a ship sinking off the coast of Ilocos Norte, just like there was last year.

Information warfare, marine security, and integrated air and missile defense will all be covered in additional training.

In preparation for Balikatan, the US has sent its Standard Missile-6 (SM-6) guided missiles to the Philippines; however, Logico stated that the weapons would not be utilized in the exercises.

China’s foreign ministry has issued a warning to the Philippines to “stop sliding down the wrong path” and accused the US of “stoking military confrontation”.