Balikatan 2015 hailed by PHL-US soldiers, commanders

From the Phiilippine News Agency (Apr 25): Balikatan 2015 hailed by PHL-US soldiers, commanders

FORT MAGSAYSAY, Palayan City, Nueva Ecija, April 25 (PNA) -- This early, soldiers and military officers participating in the 32nd Philippines-United States Balikatan Exercise 2015 here have expressed satisfaction over its output.

Lt. Col. Joshua Higgins, commander of the 2nd Battalion, 25th Aviation Regiment based in Willer Army Airfield in Hawaii, said their troopers are thankful for the opportunity to experience the professionalism of Filipino soldiers and hospitality of Filipino people.

“We are thankful to see your beautiful country and meet the wonderful Filipino people,” Higgins said, adding the war games have enriched the knowledge of both ranking and ordinary soldiers from both sides.

“We appreciate the professionalism of your soldiers,” Higgins said.

The Balikatan 2015 formally started on April 20 and will last until April 30 this year.

Col. Lawrence Mina, commander of Combined Army Forces, said about 1,000 U.S. soldiers and 864 Filipino soldiers are participating in this year’s expanded military exercise inside this 73,000–hectare military reservation.

"It has field training exercise. Before, it was a bilateral exercise only here within the periphery of Fort Magsaysay,” Mina said, adding that the combined forces continue to conduct community services in select places in Nueva Ecija.

Balikatan 2015, Mina said, was carefully planned that they have pre-identified even the fly path of U.S. aircraft and a number of striker tanks.

"Due to field training exercise, it is now ordinary to see the striker tanks of Americans creeping," Capt. Mark Ruelos, head of the public information office of the Philippine Army’s 7th Infantry Division (7ID), said.

Among those war equipment based in the compound are varied types of the so-called striker tanks, Howitzers assault guns and trucks.

Howitzers 47s here can be operated digitally, according to Capt. Michael Merril, chief of the U.S. Army mobile public affairs.

“This is self-loading, meaning, just take it out there and can digitally target data,” Merill said of the guns that fire 155 millimeter shells with a range of 31 kilometers.

The Howitzers can be slung underneath a CH-47 helicopter to bring to a specific location.

Included in the striker tanks which Filipino soldiers can use for the war games are mobile gun system (MGS), infantry carry vehicle (ICV) fire support vehicle (FSV) and several medical support tanks.

Specialist Madi Simpore, U.S. striker mechanic, said an MGS provides surveillance and security capabilities.

“It can go first to see what’s going on,” he said.

Some of the tanks, he added, can be loaded with 18 rounds of 105-millimeter shells and can be mounted with 15 caliber with 500 rounds.

It can shoot one round every six seconds, he said.

These artilleries are the new features of the Balikatan that is expanded from the traditional civil military operations and bilateral exercises to field training exercise (FTX), according to Higgins.

At the aviation command, 11 different kinds of U.S. Army are moving personnel and equipment from one place to another, Higgins said.

He maintained that the exercises has no connection with any current issues, particularly the upscale controversy over the Philippines and China’s claim over Scarborough Shoal.

“This is purely for interoperability of our forces,” he added.

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