IRIA News

The U.S., Filipino, Australian, and French forces conducted joint Balikatan 24 exercises in the Philippines. The live fire drills took place at the newly designated military under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA)

According to a statement released by the United States Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM), during Exercise Balikatan 2024 the participant forces “trained shoulder-to-shoulder at locations throughout the Philippines to increase proficiency in maritime security, amphibious operations, combined arms, aviation operations, and information and cyberspace operations.”

“It’s no coincidence that as democratic nations, the values we share are enshrined in our respective national anthems,” said U.S. Marine Lt. Gen. Michael Cederholm, U.S. Exercise Joint Task Force commander.

A #MarineCorps CH-53E Super Stallion assigned to the @15thMEUOfficial takes off from the flight deck of USS Harpers Ferry during Exercise Balikatan (BK) 24.

BK 24 is an exercise between the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the U.S. military to strengthen interoperability. pic.twitter.com/vusqHxGzeT

— U.S. Marines (@USMC) May 13, 2024

“Those anthems talk about heroes, those that are brave, about defending freedom and defending our respective shores from external attackers. I could not be prouder of the men and women in the field, the operational planning staff, and all the enablers; they have truly made Balikatan 24 an incredible success.”

In addition to field training events, humanitarian civic assistance teams built schools and medical centers at four locations while training medical providers, gifting education supplies, and building relationships with local communities. More than $50 million was injected into locations throughout the country under humanitarian civic assistance, the statement said.

Live fire exercise

The U.S. and Philippine militaries fired missiles and used howitzer guns stationed along the coast of Laoag, a coastal city situated in the northern Ilocos province. Ilocos province lies southeast of China and just south of Taiwan, near areas of the South China Sea that would probably be at the center of any regional conflict over the disputed waters. Laoag is the mainland Philippine province nearest to China.

Parts of the drills were also staged in waters outside the Philippines’ 19-kilometer territorial limit, and also outside Manila’s exclusive economic zone, which extends for about 370 kilometers.

In the northern Batanes region, an island province situated just south of Taiwan, U.S. and Philippine forces conducted simulations of the recapture of Itbayat, the country’s northernmost municipality. The military exercises provoked a robust reaction from China, resulting in the disruption of at least one live fire drill in the South China Sea.

The Philippine Coast Guard reported the presence of a Chinese warship and two other vessels near Itbayat. These ships departed following a radio challenge issued by the coastguard. However, China has not released an official response to the live-fire exercises.

🇦🇺–🇵🇭–🇺🇸

The #USINDOPACOM #JointForce, @DefenceAust & @TeamAFP conduct a combined, multi-domain maritime strike during #Balikatan24, demonstrating interoperability & innovative capabilities to securing peace in the #FreeAndOpenIndoPacific.

📍 #Philippines

📽️ @PacificMarines pic.twitter.com/QO1uDsRMMn

— U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (@INDOPACOM) May 11, 2024

New military sites

One of the most significant features of the latest military exercise was the location of the live-fire drills, which took place at the newly designated military sites in the Philippines under the EDCA.

The agreement allows the U.S. to finance the enhancement and construction of infrastructure at current Philippine military bases and other sites, along with facilitating the rotational deployment of U.S. troops. Initially signed in 2014, the agreement initially established six sites. In 2023, an additional four sites were added to the list.

The defense agreement and access to new military sites in the Philippines allow the U.S. to deploy forces in the northern part of the Philippines, a region close to China in proximity and strategically important in the context of the South China Sea.

The EDCA agreement was stalled under the former President of the Philippines Rodrigo Duterte, who was inclined towards China and threatened to expel the U.S. forces from his country. Defense ties between the U.S. and the Philippines have warmed up once again since Marcos Jr. came into power in 2022.