Philippines & US kick off exercise Balikatan in response to Chinese maneuvers.

Balikatan 2023 sees over 17,600 members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the U.S. military participating in an annual bilateral exercise between the two allies. It is the largest iteration of Balikatan to date, with both allies contributing a significant number of troops. The exercise is currently taking place from April 11 to 28.
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Amphibious transport dock USS Anchorage (LPD 23) pulls into Subic Bay, Philippines to participate in Exercise Balikatan 2023. (Picture source: US DoD)

The current year marks the 38th iteration of the exercise, which will feature training activities across the Philippines. This year, approximately 5,400 AFP personnel and 12,200 U.S. military personnel will train together, fostering interoperability and enhanced capability in a range of areas, including maritime security, amphibious operations, live-fire training, urban and aviation operations, cyber defense, counterterrorism, and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief preparedness. The increase in participating personnel from the previous year's Balikatan exercise reflects the ongoing expansion of the exercise's scope.

Moreover, this year's iteration of Balikatan includes a bilateral command post-exercise, which will bolster the Allies' ability to coordinate and provide command and control of forces against simulated challenges and scenarios.

This exercise will enable the AFP and the U.S. military to refine their tactics, techniques, and procedures related to maritime security and maneuver in a shared and contested battlespace.

The exercise's field training events will take place across the Philippines, evaluating the Allies' capabilities in combined arms live-fire, information and intelligence sharing, communications between maneuver units, logistics operations, amphibious operations, and other critical skill sets.

In addition, the AFP and U.S. military will carry out multiple Humanitarian Civic Assistance (HCA) projects to enhance infrastructure, improve medical response, and strengthen ties between local communities and Philippine and American military forces.

These activities include the construction or renovation of three community health centers and multipurpose halls and hands-on training in advanced emergency rescue and lifesaving techniques.