Philippines, US kick off joint drills

Brothers in arms: Philippine and US army officials linking arms during the opening ceremony of the US-Philippines army-to-army exercise at Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija province, north of Manila. — AFP

THE Philippines and the United States have launched army-to-army exercises, with a focus on enhancing the South-East Asian nation’s ability to protect and defend its territory from external threats.

The drills come on the heels of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr’s decision last month to expand the United States’ access to his country’s military bases.