Philippines, U.S. showcase combat readiness at largest-ever Balikatan exercise

Maria T. Reyes

The Philippines and the United States launched their largest-ever combined military drills April 10, 2023, which will include firing rockets to sink a decommissioned navy ship in waters facing the South China Sea.

More than 17,600 personnel from the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the U.S military are training during the three-week Balikatan 2023 to enhance interoperability and capability in maritime security, amphibious operations, live-fire training, urban and aviation operations, cyber defense, counterterrorism, and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief preparedness.

AFP Chief of Staff Gen. Andres Centino said the drills would boost ties between the allies and “contribute to peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region in a definitive manner.”

“Through this exercise, the Philippine and U.S. forces will sharpen our interoperability, increase our proficiency and complement our capabilities through collaboration, ensuring we are prepared to respond to real-world challenges together,” U.S. Marine Corps Maj. Gen. Eric Austin said at the opening ceremony at Camp Aguinaldo, the AFP headquarters. (Pictured: Philippine and U.S. troops fire a High Mobility Artillery Rocket System during bilateral live-fire exercises in late March 2023.)

AFP Col. Michael Logico said the main objective for this 38th iteration of the exercise, which also includes Australian Defence Force personnel, is to operate seamlessly as a combined task force.

The focus is maritime and coastal defense, highlighted by the sinking of the decommissioned Philippine Navy ship BRP Pangasinan off Zambales province near the West Philippine Sea, which the People’s Republic of China (PRC) claims as its territory.

“Ship sinking is just a way to prove that we can be interoperable on an operational level,” Logico said. “What we are trying to demonstrate is that we are combat-ready, and we have the capacity to deliver fires on target from the land, air and sea. Any exercise that we do is a demonstration of combat readiness.”

There will be four major events: a command post exercise, a cyber defense exercise, a field training exercise and humanitarian civic assistance. The drills will also include live firings of Patriot missiles and Avenger air defense systems, and a simulated operation to retake an island captured by an enemy off Palawan, near where the PRC has built military outposts on artificial features.

For the first time, a major cyber defense exercise will entail building cybersecurity and defense infrastructure to detect, respond to and recover from various cyber threats, officials said.

“All these major events are intended to ensure the achievement of the end state of our Balikatan 2023 exercises, which is to fully develop mutual defense capabilities to enhance cyber defense operation and strengthen the country’s maritime security and domain awareness,” Centino said.

Balikatan, which ends April 28, kicked off as the PRC concluded three days of military drills around Taiwan, which the self-governed island’s president described as a threat to regional security.

Logico said the allies’ drills are unrelated to the current regional situation and are not directed toward any country.

“Balikatan is held every April, and this is no different. It just so happens that every year, we have to do something different. What we haven’t done before is to exercise all three components of the navy, air force and army together,” he said.

“We used to do it in landlocked areas, so we have to go to a littoral area. But we don’t have to just fire into the sea; we have to have a target,” he said of the sinking exercise.

Maria T. Reyes is a FORUM contributor reporting from Manila, Philippines.

IMAGE CREDIT: GETTY IMAGES