AFP: Next PH, US joint exercises to focus on maritime activities

The joint military exercises of the Philippines and the United States will focus more on maritime activities, according to Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief General Romeo Brawner Jr.

“May increase ngayon sa maritime, so mga joint sail, joint exercises, cyber. So, hindi na katulad noon na masyadong land-based ang focus, hindi na. Medyo nag-shift na rin tayo sa maritime focus,” Romeo said in an interview on October 6.

(There is an increase now in maritime activities like joint sails and exercises as well as in cyber activities. So, the joint exercises would not be like the previous ones which focused on land-based operations, not anymore. We will shift our focus to maritime activities.)

According to Brawner, there will be more “complexity” in the Philippines-US joint military drills.

He also said that the next Balikatan Exercise of the two countries will have around 16,000 participants.

In September, after their annual Mutual Defense Board-Security Engagement Board (MDB-SEB) meeting, the AFP said the Philippines and US militaries are set to implement over 500 bilateral engagements next year.

These would cover exercises, high-level exchanges, security cooperation activities, and strategic vision including maritime security, information sharing, and capacity and capability development, among others.

In July, the Philippines and the US also committed to stepping up maritime policy and operational cooperation following a meeting of their respective representatives in Washington, D.C.

At the Philippines-United States Maritime Dialogue, they committed to maintaining the rules-based international order in the West Philippine Sea.

This is in line with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and the 2016 arbitral ruling that invalidated China's massive claims in the vital sea lane, they said. —VAL, GMA Integrated News