Philippines Eyes Expanded Military Drills With US in April
- More complex drills planned in program seen to surpass 2023
- Navy recently spots 200 Chinese vessels in disputed waters
US and Philippine troops during live fire exercises in Laur, Nueva Ecija, Philippines in 2023.
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The Philippines and the US plan to hold what could be their largest military exercises in April, in a show of strength of their alliance amid heightened tensions in the South China Sea.
The annual exercises called Balikatan will feature “more complex drills” including cyberspace and information warfare, Armed Forces of the Philippines spokesperson Colonel Francel Margareth Padilla said in a briefing Tuesday. Balikatan is a Filipino word that translates to shoulder-to-shoulder.