Pre-Balikatan exercises start in Camp Aguinaldo

From Malaya Business Insight (Mar 28): Pre-Balikatan exercises start in Camp Aguinaldo

FILIPINO and American military forces are due to start today command post or tabletop exercises, part of the annual Balikatan training exercise which formally opens on April 4.

Today will also mark the start of the arrival in undisclosed areas in Northern Luzon of US forces and equipment participating in the Balikatan, said Capt. Celeste Frank Sayson, Balikatan public affairs officer.

For the tabletop exercise, Sayson said Filipino generals and other officials will be gathering at the AFP general headquarters in Camp Aguinaldo today to simulate responses to calamities, including a 6.5 magnitude earthquake in Metro Manila.

“We will know how our generals will react when a crisis happens, how the AFP will deploy its array of forces as a reaction to the scenario,” Sayson said.

In Hawaii, American forces will also be holding their own command post exercise today at the US Pacific Command headquarters.

“The US forces will also be doing their own tabletop exercise on how to help the Philippines… They will be aware of the Philippine preparations so they’ll know when to enter, how to provide support,” he said.
The drill will run until March 31.

The Americans will be using around 4,900 US forces, 55 aircraft, and five ships in this year’s Balikatan exercise. On the other hand, the Philippine military will use some 3,700 troops and several air and naval assets.

The field training exercises will be held in the traditional sites including Clark Air Base in Pampanga, Palawan, Subic Bay in Zambales, Crow Valley in Tarlac, and Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija.

http://www.malaya.com.ph/business-news/news/pre-balikatan-exercises-start-camp-aguinaldo