The country and the United States plan to hold their flagship military drills next month in locations near Taiwan and the South China Sea as tensions escalate in the disputed waters.
The annual exercises will be held from the third week of April to the first week of May, with the Australian Defence Force and the French Navy set to participate, Philippine military officials said in a briefing on Tuesday.
Japanese troops were also invited to join, said Colonel Michael Logico, who is among the planners of the drills called Balikatan, which means shoulder-to-shoulder.“We are venturing away from our traditional training areas. We are pushing out into key locations throughout the country, primarily in the north and also in the west,” Logico said.
Troops will hold maritime exercises west of Palawan island, which faces the South China Sea. Batanes, the Philippine province near Taiwan, is also being considered as a venue, he said.
Drills being planned include ship sinking and integrated air missile defence and cybersecurity exercises, he added. — Bloomberg
