The 29th Balikatan exercise kicks off at Camp Aguinaldo

From the Philippine Information Agency (Apr 6): The 29th Balikatan exercise kicks off at Camp Aguinaldo

The 29th Balikatan military exercise between the Philippines and the United States formally started yesterday.

Among the officials present at the opening ceremony in Camp Aguinaldo were Foreign Affairs Sec. Albert Del Rosario, US Ambassador Harry K. Thomas, Jr, Defense Sec. Voltaire Gazmin and Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief of Staff General Emmanuel Bautista.

More than 8,000 combined Philippine and U.S. personnel will participate in the exercise, which will take place at various locations throughout Luzon. The exercise will consist of humanitarian civic assistance projects, senior leader engagements, a command post exercise, field training exercises, and maritime security and ship drills to enhance Philippine-U.S. military interoperability and build military-to-military relations.

Held annually in the Philippines, Balikatan exercise characterizes the longstanding Philippine-U.S. partnership, deeply rooted in cooperation and a shared commitment to the Mutual Defense Treaty, a statement from the US Embassy said.

During the opening ceremony, Ambassador Thomas noted the strong collaboration between the Philippine and U.S. militaries in the aftermath of super-typhoon Pablo four months ago. “Through that tragedy, we saw the best of our partnership,” he said. “Members of the U.S. Armed Forces were here in the Philippines planning for this Balikatan exercise when Pablo began its destruction. Within seven hours of the request from the Philippine Government to assist with the typhoon relief, the first U.S. aircraft arrived here in Manila to begin rescue operations,” said Ambassador Thomas.

Balikatan 2013 will end on April 17.

http://www.pia.gov.ph/news/index.php?article=1751365182399