The United States will be sending 76 air assets and three ships for the exercise while the Philippines will deploy 15 planes and one vessel.
Nearly 12,000 Filipino and American soldiers will join this year’s Balikatan exercises to be held as China is achieving significant progress in its construction projects in disputed areas in the West Philippine Sea.
A total of 6,656 American servicemen will participate in the drills, more than double the 2,500-strong contingent that joined last year and outnumbering its Filipino counterpart, which will consist of 5,023 soldiers.
Balikatan 2015, the 31st iteration of the bilateral exercise, will be held from April 20 to 30 and will feature traditional military trainings and community development projects.
The United States will be sending 76 air assets and three ships for the exercise while the Philippines will deploy 15 planes and one vessel.
The Australian Defense Force will also take part in the activity and will be sending 61 personnel and one aircraft.
“Our Armed Forces and the US Armed Forces are coming together for this mutual defense and disaster response exercises towards a more responsive partnership to the community focusing on development and community service,” said Lt. Col. Harold Cabunoc, public affairs chief of the Philippine military.
The Philippine military bared the details of the annual joint exercise a week after it reported that China is conducting reclamation and construction projects in at least seven reefs in the disputed Spratlys archipelago.
China, which has been occupying disputed areas to assert its expansive territorial claims, is building artificial islets over Mabini (Johnson South), Burgos (Gaven), Kennar (Chigua) and Calderon (Cuarteron) Reefs and is conducting reclamation in Zamora (Subi), Kagitingan (Fiery Cross) Reef and parts of Panganiban (Mischief) Reef.
Officials, however, have repeatedly denied that the Balikatan exercises are directed towards China. The US previously said it won’t be taking sides on the territorial row but called on claimants to settle their differences peacefully through international law.
Balikatan 2015 activities will be divided into three categories namely the command post exercise, field training exercise and humanitarian civic assistance.
In the command post exercise, the scenario will focus on marine security and will involve combined arms live fire exercises.
The field training exercises will be held in Crow Valley in Tarlac, Basa Air Base and Clark Air Base both in Pampanga, Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija, Marine Base Gregorio Lim and Naval Base Heracleo Alano both in Cavite and Naval Station Leovigildo Gantiouqui in Zambales.
Cabunoc said the exercises were designed to enhance the capabilities, tactics and interoperability of the Philippine and US militaries.
The humanitarian civic assistance events will be held in parts of Puerto Princesa in Palawan and Panay Island in the Visayas. Members of the Australian Defense Forces will participate in the activity, which seeks to strengthen the ties between the military forces and the local communities.
The opening ceremony of Balikatan 2015 will be held at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City on April 20 while the closing rites will be at Clark Airbase on April 30.
Vice Adm. Alexander Lopez, the chief of the Palawan-based Western Command, will be this year’s exercise director while Armed Forces Command and General Staff College commandant Brig. Gen. Rodolfo Santiago will serve as his deputy.
http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2015/04/06/1440954/11000-filipino-american-soldiers-join-balikatan-2015
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