MANILA
\nMore than 14,000 Filipino and American soldiers kicked off annual military exercises on Monday for a \u201cfull battle test\u201d between the two defense treaty allies in the face of regional security concerns, including tensions in the South China Sea.
\nThe annual \u201cBalikatan\u201d (shoulder-to-shoulder) exercises will run for three weeks until May 9, showcasing an array of US weapons that include the NMESIS anti-ship missile system and HIMARS rocket launchers.
\nThe Philippines will test its own modern missiles in live-fire exercises with American counterparts, according to a summary shared with media.
\nLt. Gen. James Glynn, the exercise director for the US side, described this year\u2019s drills as \u201cfull battle tests\u201d where capabilities of both forces will be measured in multiple scenarios.
\nExercises include defending against missile threats, preventing invasions at sea, and sinking a decommissioned Philippine navy vessel in a maritime strike test.
\n\u201cThe full battle tests is intended to take into consideration all of the regional security challenges that we face today, beginning in the South China Sea,\u201d Glynn told a media briefing.
\nAbout 9,000 US soldiers and 5,000 Filipino troops are participating this year, officials said. Small contingents from Australia, Japan, Britain, France and Canada are also participating and 16 other countries have signed up as observers.
\nThe exercises come as regional tensions simmer in Asia over China\u2019s activities in the South China Sea and around Taiwan, which neighbors the Philippines. Major General Francisco Lorenzo, the exercises director for the Philippines, said the drills were not directed at any country, but could act as deterrent against conflict.
\n\u201cThe Balikatan exercise may probably help deter the conflict in Taiwan. But for our concern, it is only for deterrence of any possible coercion or invasion to our country,\u201d Lorenzo said.
\nTensions between China and the Philippines have escalated the past two years over run-ins between their coast guards in the South China Sea, which Beijing claims sovereignty over almost in its entirety.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
MANILA More than 14,000 Filipino and American soldiers kicked off annual military exercises on Monday for a \u201cfull battle test\u201d between the two defense treaty allies in the face of regional security concerns, including tensions in the South China Sea. The annual \u201cBalikatan\u201d (shoulder-to-shoulder) exercises will run for three weeks until May 9, showcasing an […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":473939,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-473926","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n