The decision of the US
This was disclosed Tuesday by AFP public affairs office
chief Lt. Col. Harold Cabunoc.
Earlier, the AFP announced that it will be deploying 5,023
and 15 aircraft while the Australian Defense Force committed 61 soldiers and
one plane.
"The high number of American participants in this
year's Balikatan exercises demonstrates US
In 2014, only 2,500 American personnel were present for
Balikatan 2014 with the Philippines
Cabunoc also stressed that the exercises are not aimed at
the ongoing Chinese construction at disputed portions of the West
Philippine Sea .
Balikatan is an annual combined joint exercise between the
Governments of the Republic of the Philippines
This is conducted every year to serve as a venue for joint
and combined training between the Philippines
and United States
"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," Cabunoc stressed.
This year’s Balikatan is the 31st in the series of bilateral
exercises based on the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty.
The exercise is designed to enhance the Armed Forces of the
Philippines and the United States Armed Forces in capability development in the
conduct of not only traditional military training but with civil military
projects focusing on reaching out towards priority communities.
Balikatan 2015 will be conducted in three simultaneous
events.
Humanitarian Civic Assistance (HCA) events is the conduct of
combined and joint civil-military operations by the AFP, US and Australian
Defense Forces (ADF) in selected areas of the Western Command (WESCOM) area of
responsibility in Puerto Princesa City, Palawan and Central Command (CENTCOM)
area of responsibility in Panay Island, to enhance civil-military cooperation
in support of the AFP and US objectives.
In the Command Post Exercise (CPX) event, the scenario will
focus on Marine Security (MARSEC) with Combined Arms Live Fire Exercise
(CALFEX) to demonstrate the capability of the AFP National Maneuver Force.
Selected US and ADF staff members will form a Joint Liaison
Group (JLG) to support the capability development at each staff.
While the Field Training Exercises (FTX) events will have
the following involved unit; the Philippine Army (PA), Philippine Air Force
(PAF), Philippine Navy (PN), Philippine Marine Corps (PMC), AFP Special
Operations Force (SOF), United States Army (USAR), United States Air Force
(USAF), United States Navy (USN), United States Marine Crops (USMC), and United
States SOF (US SOF) will be held in Crow Valley Gunnery Range (CVGR), Tarlac;
Basa Air Base (BAB), Floridablanca and Clark Air Base (CAB) Angeles City, both
in Pampanga; Fort Magsaysay, Nueva Ecija (FMNE); Marine Base Gregorio Lim
(MBGL), Ternate, Cavite; Naval Base Heracleo Alano (NBHA), Sangley Point,
Cavite and at Naval Station Leovigildo Gantiouqui (NSLG), San Antonio, Zambales
to enhance capacities and improve tactics, techniques and procedures, reinforce
relations, and improve interoperability of AFP, US and ADF forces.
Opening ceremony of Balikatan 2015 will be held at Camp
General Emilio Aguinaldo in Quezon
City
Balikatan Exercise Director for this year is Vice Adm.
ALexander S. Lopez while Brig. Gen. Rodolfo B Santiago is the Exercise’s Vice
Director and also the commandant of AFP Command and General Staff College.
http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=751003
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