AFP chief says Balikatan a success despite 'hitches'

From the Manila Times (Apr 29, 2023): AFP chief says Balikatan a success despite 'hitches' (By By 

THE chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said several "hitches" were encountered in planning this year's Balikatan exercise, particularly in choosing locations for the joint training of the 17,600 participating Philippine and United States troops.

In an interview on the sidelines of the closing ceremony for the Balikatan at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City on Friday, Gen. Andres Centino said there were "a lot of firsts" for this year's edition.

"There were many new activities that we included in our almost three-week exercise and also this is the first time that we had multiple venues, there were so many places where we conducted our exercise," Centino said.

However, after two years of not carrying out the training exercise because of the Covid-19 pandemic, "little hitches" were expected, he said.

"Maybe in terms of coordination there were delays, but these delays were tolerable, it's easy to fix, maybe a little something in the coordination," Centino said. "Although it would be better if we really did not have any delays, maybe in choosing the location because if it's far away, of course, we'll be delayed."

Despite the problems, the Balikatan was still "very successful," he said.

"After this, it's a bit like a cycle, there will be another preparation, it's a whole year [of] preparation actually. What we will be planning after this is next year's iteration," Centino said. "And right after this year, we will see what needs to be improved or refined, we will continue planning again for next year."

He said the organizers will also assess if there is a need to further increase the number of participants in future Balikatans.

Balikatan 2023, which started last April, is the largest so far.

"And, of course, it would be better that we have a chance to train with other armies also, our friends and allies," said Centino.

He said there were no discussions to revive Cope Thunder, another large-scale joint exercise between the Philippine and US air forces that began in 1976 but was halted after the US military closed its bases in Clark and Subic in 1991.

"We haven't talked about that yet," Centino said.

The US Pacific Air Force (US Pacaf) announced earlier this week that Cope Thunder will be held from May 1 to May 12 at Clark Air Base in Pampanga.

In a statement, US Pacaf said Cope Thunder Philippines is "designed to provide bilateral fighter training with the Philippine Air Force and improve combined interoperability.

Approximately 160 USAF service members are expected to fly, maintain and support more than 12 aircraft from the 35 Fighter Wing, Misawa Air Base, Japan units during this iteration of the exercise."

The drills are expected to feature the F-16 multirole fighters from the US Air Force's 35th Fighter Wing and the FA-50 trainer jets of the Philippine Air Force (PAF).

In her remarks during the Balikatan closing ceremony, US Ambassador to the Philippines MaryKay Carlson said the successful completion of an undertaking "with the scope and complexity" of Balikatan is an "incredible accomplishment and a testament to the strength of the US-Philippine Alliance."

"This year's Balikatan saw several innovations that show the evolution of our alliance. In addition to being unprecedented in terms of size, our forces also introduced cyber and space elements to the exercise scenario, showing our seven-decade-old alliance is constantly evolving to address 21st-century threats," said Carlson.

Balikatan is a Tagalog term meaning "shoulder-to-shoulder" or "sharing the load together."

This year's exercise saw the participation of a contingent from the Australian Defence Force.

The exercise covered interoperability in maritime security, amphibious operations, live-fire training, urban and aviation operations, cyber defense, counterterrorism, and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief preparedness.

https://www.manilatimes.net/2023/04/29/news/national/afp-chief-says-balikatan-a-success-despite-hitches/1889163