PHL to host military drills with US, Japan, Korea, UK

THE Philippines will host a joint military training with the US, Japan, South Korea and the UK aimed at improving military readiness, interoperability and regional defense capabilities.

In a statement on Wednesday, the US Indo-Pacific Command (US PACOM) said the joint exercise dubbed Kamandag 9, is scheduled for May 26 to June 6 across Luzon, Batanes, Tawi-Tawi and Palawan. The exercise has been held since 2016.

“The expanded scope and participation this year highlight the global importance of maritime security, the value of building multinational maritime domain awareness and a shared commitment to peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific,” the US PACOM said.

It added that training events would include maritime key terrain security operations, defensive counter-landing live-fire drills, littoral maneuver, amphibious operations and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief training.

The exchanges will cover logistics, engineering, special operations, unmanned aerial reconnaissance, marksmanship, air defense, medical readiness, chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear training.

“Training shoulder-to-shoulder with our Philippine Marine Corps partners isn’t just about building interoperability; it’s about forging trust in the crucible of shared hardship and preparing together to respond with speed and precision to any crisis, anywhere, anytime,” said Colonel Jason C. Armas, commanding officer of the Marine Rotational Force -— Darwin 25.3 Marine Air-Ground Task Force.

The joint exercise is expected to bring together members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, I and III Marine Expeditionary Forces, Japan Ground Self-Defense Force, Republic of Korea Marine Corps and the UK Armed Forces.

“By operating jointly in complex environments, we are strengthening our capability to defend the archipelago and contributing to a secure and stable Indo-Pacific,” Philippine Marine Corps Commandant Major General Arturo G. Rojas said in the statement.

Josue Raphael J. Cortez, a diplomacy instructor at De La Salle-College of St. Benilde’s School of Diplomacy and Governance, said the upcoming exercise would be an avenue for the Philippines to improve its defense capabilities.

“This is because our troops would not merely share best practices with the United States and the UK, but also alongside some of our neighbors in the east,” he said in a Facebook Messenger chat.

Philippine and US forces are set to conclude their annual Balikatan (shoulder-to-shoulder) military exercise on May 9.

More than 14,000 Filipino and American troops are participating in the drills, held in areas of the Philippines facing regional flashpoints like the South China Sea and Taiwan, and featuring advanced US missile systems.

Mr. Cortez added that the Philippines’ foreign counterparts have better access to the latest trends in combat operations.

“This can also be a platform where they can engage in dialogue with one another, foster solidarity and be the impetus on how we can collaborate with them in our continuous pursuit of modernizing our military,” he added.

China’s increasing assertiveness in the South China Sea has prompted the Philippines to seek more foreign defense agreements.

Chester B. Cabalza, founding president at Manila-based think tank International Development and Security Cooperation, said in a Facebook chat that Manila should improve its land warfare capabilities.

“With its close neighbors Japan and Korea being a part of this initiative, the Chinese government might undertake actions geared towards deterring Japan and South Korea from further deepening its ties with the Philippines,” Mr. Cortez said.

Mr. Cabalza said China should refrain from interfering in the country’s defense affairs.

Philippine-China ties have worsened in recent years due to repeated encounters between their coast guard ships in the South China Sea over competing claims on the Spratly Islands and Scarborough Shoal, among other sea features.

China claims more than 80% of the South China Sea based on a 1940s map, which a United Nations-backed arbitration court in The Hague voided in 2016 for being illegal.