The Philippines and the US launch the 39th edition of the Balikatan military exercise on an unprecedented scale

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Military personnel from the Philippines and the United States began this Monday the 39th edition of their annual Balikatan (Shoulder to Shoulder) exercise, of an unprecedented magnitude in more than two decades, local media reported.

“As Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, I declare the Philippine-US exercise Balikatan 39-2024 officially opened as of today,” General Romeo Brawner Jr. announced during a ceremony held at Camp Aguinaldo, the headquarters general of the national army.

This year’s edition will include operations in the air, land, maritime, space and cyber domains and will focus on three key pieces: a command and control exercise (C2X), a field training (FTX) and a simulation of humanitarian civil assistance (HCA).

This Sunday, Armed Forces of the Philippines spokesperson Francel Margareth Padilla noted that this year’s training “is distinguished by its scale and evolutionary nature, which adapts to contemporary security challenges.”

Exercise Balikatan, according to Padilla, demonstrates combat readiness and interoperability with treaty allies.

“Our focus remains on strengthening external defense capabilities and fostering peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region,” he stated.

The training will take place until May 10 in northern Luzon, as well as in the island province of Palawan, and will involve some 16,000 military personnel: 5,000 Filipinos and 11,000 Americans. A contingent from the Australian Defense Forces and another from the French Navy will also attend the maneuvers.

Representatives from 14 countries – Germany, Brunei, Canada, South Korea, France, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam – will participate as observers.

With information from Sputnik