The Philippine and US militaries kicked off joint exercises involving a combined 5,000 troops, Manila said, days before new US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth was set to visit the South-East Asian country.
The weeks-long operation, an opening salvo of the broader Balikatan exercises that will next month include the countries’ navies and air forces, comes as tensions with China over the disputed South China Sea are at a high.
The two armies will focus “on enhancing combined/joint all- domain operations, reinforcing warfighting capabilities and showcasing a strong bilateral commitment to safeguarding the Philippines’ territorial integrity”, the military said in a statement on Monday.
Hegseth is scheduled to meet his counterpart Gilberto Teodoro on Friday in Manila, part of a trip that will also take him to treaty ally Japan and the World War II battleground island of Iwo Jima.
It marks his first visit to Asia since his appointment by President Donald Trump and Senate confirmation hearing.
Manila and Washington, longstanding treaty allies, have deepened their defence cooperation since Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos took office in 2022.
In 2023, the two countries inked a deal to expand US access to an additional four military bases, bringing the total to nine across the archipelago nation.
Hegseth’s predecessor Lloyd Austin predicted in November that the Philippines would remain a key ally after Trump’s inauguration.
“The strength of our alliance, I think, will transcend changes of administration going forward,” Austin said. — AFP
