US, Philippines to simulate ‘full-scale battle’ in Balikatan drills

MANILA, Philippines — Thousands of allied American and Filipino forces opened annual combat drills April 21 that include repelling an island attack to simulate the defense of the Philippine archipelago and seas in a “full-scale battle scenario” that has antagonized China.

The annual Balikatan military exercises between the longtime treaty allies are scheduled from April 21 to May 9 with about 9,000 American and 5,000 Filipino military personnel. Fighter jets, warships and an array of weaponry including a U.S. Marine anti-ship missile system will be involved, U.S. and Philippine military officials said.

China has steadfastly opposed such war drills in or near the disputed South China Sea and in northern Philippine provinces close to Taiwan, especially if they involve U.S. and allied forces that Beijing says aim to contain it and, consequently, threaten regional stability and peace.

“We are ready,” U.S. Marine Corps Lt. Gen. James Glynn told a news conference when asked if U.S. and Philippine forces have built up the capability to address any major act of aggression in the Taiwan Strait or the South China Sea after years of joint combat exercises.

“Our combined strength … possesses a degree of lethality for a force that possesses an indomitable warrior ethos and spirit,” Glynn said in a speech in the opening ceremony of the annual combat-readiness exercises. “It’s all dedicated to one purpose, to ensure the defense of the Philippines and to maintain a free and open Indo-Pacific.”

“All of us want to resolve any regional conflict peacefully, but should deterrence fail, we need to be prepared,” said Glynn, who previously helped lead special operations forces against the Islamic State group and served in Fallujah, Iraq.

Philippine Army Maj. Gen. Francisco Lorenzo said the exercises during Balikatan, meaning “shoulder to shoulder” in Tagalog, are not aimed at any particular country.

“It’s joint training with the U.S. forces to increase our capability in securing our territory and, of course, it will increase our capabilities and our preparedness and responsiveness to any eventuality,” Lorenzo said.

The exercises include a mock allied counter-assault against an enemy attack on an island, the use of a barrage of artillery and missile fire to sink a mock enemy ship, joint navy sails in or near the disputed South China Sea, and aerial combat surveillance, according to the Philippine military.

A Philippine military statement described this year’s large-scale combat exercises as “a full-scale battle scenario meticulously designed to rigorously test and enhance the combined capabilities of both nations’ armed forces under the most realistic and challenging conditions.”

Aside from U.S. and Philippine military personnel, Australia plans deploy about 260 participants, an Australian military officer said. Several countries, including Japan, intend to send military observers.

A midrange missile system , which was deployed to the northern Philippines by the U.S. Army last year, will be used again in the combat exercises, U.S. and Philippine military officials said without offering additional details.

China has repeatedly expressed alarm over the missile deployment and demanded that Filipino officials pull the weaponry from Philippine territory, saying it could spark an arms race.

The U.S. Army’s midrange missile system consisting of a mobile launcher and at least 16 Standard Missile-6 and Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles has been repositioned in the Philippines, a Philippine official told The Associated Press early this year.

The system was repositioned from the northern Philippine city of Laoag to a strategic area in a western coastal province facing a disputed South China Sea shoal, where Chinese and Philippine coast guard and navy forces have had increasingly tense confrontations.

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth visited Manila last month in his first trip to Asia and said the Trump administration would work with allies to ramp up deterrence against China’s aggression in the South China Sea.

The U.S. was not gearing up for war, Hegseth said, while underscoring that peace would be won “through strength."

During the Balikatan exercises, the U.S. would deploy an anti-ship missile system called the Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System, as well as unmanned sea vessels to enable the allies forces to train together to defend Philippine sovereignty, Hegseth said.

The allied forces also agreed to stage special operations forces training in Batanes province in the northernmost tip of the Philippine archipelago across a sea border from Taiwan, he said.

Aside from China and the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan also have overlapping claims in the busy waterway.

Washington does not lay any claim to the waterway but repeatedly has warned that it’s obligated to defend the Philippines, its oldest treaty ally in Asia, if Filipino forces, ships and aircraft come under an armed attack, including in the South China Sea.

菲律宾马尼拉——4月21日，数千名美菲盟军士兵开始了年度战斗演习，其中包括击退岛屿攻击，以模拟在“全面战斗场景”中保卫菲律宾群岛和海域，此举激怒了中国。

美菲两国作为长期条约盟友，将于4月21日至5月9日举行一年一度的“肩并肩”联合军事演习，届时将有约9000名美军人员和5000名菲军人员参加。美菲军方官员表示，演习将动用战斗机、军舰以及包括美国海军陆战队反舰导弹系统在内的多种武器装备。

中国一直坚决反对在有争议的南海及其附近地区以及靠近台湾的菲律宾北部省份进行此类军事演习，尤其是有美国及其盟军参与的演习，北京方面认为这些演习旨在遏制中国，从而威胁地区稳定与和平。

美国海军陆战队中将詹姆斯·格林在新闻发布会上被问及经过多年的联合作战演习，美国和菲律宾军队是否已经具备应对台湾海峡或南海任何重大侵略行为的能力时表示：“我们已经准备好了。”

格林在年度战备演习开幕式上的讲话中说：“我们联合起来的力量……对于一支拥有不屈不挠的战士精神和理念的部队来说，具有相当的杀伤力。这一切都致力于一个目标，那就是确保菲律宾的安全，并维护自由开放的印太地区。”

“我们都希望和平解决任何地区冲突，但如果威慑失败，我们需要做好准备，”格林说道。他此前曾协助领导特种作战部队打击伊斯兰国组织，并在伊拉克费卢杰服役。

菲律宾陆军少将弗朗西斯科·洛伦佐表示，在“肩并肩”（菲律宾语：Balikatan）演习期间进行的联合军事演习并非针对任何特定国家。

洛伦佐说：“这是与美军的联合训练，旨在提高我们保卫领土的能力，当然，也将提高我们应对任何突发事件的能力、准备和反应能力。”

据菲律宾军方称，演习内容包括模拟盟军对敌军攻击岛屿的反击、使用炮火和导弹齐射击沉模拟敌舰、在有争议的南海或附近进行联合海军航行以及空中作战侦察。

菲律宾军方发表声明，将今年的大规模作战演习描述为“精心设计的全面战斗场景，旨在最真实、最具挑战性的条件下严格测试和提高两国武装部队的联合能力”。

一位澳大利亚军官表示，除美国和菲律宾的军事人员外，澳大利亚还计划部署约260名人员。包括日本在内的几个国家也打算派遣军事观察员。

美国和菲律宾军方官员表示，去年由美国陆军部署到菲律宾北部的中程导弹系统将在作战演习中再次使用，但未提供更多细节。

中国多次对导弹部署表示担忧，并要求菲律宾官员从菲律宾领土撤走这些武器，称这可能引发军备竞赛。

今年年初，一位菲律宾官员告诉美联社，美国陆军的中程导弹系统（包括一个移动发射装置和至少 16 枚标准-6 型导弹和战斧陆攻导弹）已重新部署到菲律宾。

该系统从菲律宾北部城市老沃市重新部署到西部沿海省份的一个战略区域，该区域正对着南海争议浅滩，中国和菲律宾海警及海军在该区域发生了日益紧张的对峙。

美国国防部长皮特·赫格塞斯上个月首次访问亚洲，访问了马尼拉。他表示，特朗普政府将与盟友合作，加强对中国在南海侵略行为的威慑。

赫格塞斯表示，美国并没有准备打仗，同时强调和平将“通过实力”赢得。

赫格塞斯表示，在“肩并肩”联合军演期间，美国将部署名为“海军陆战队远征舰拦截系统”的反舰导弹系统以及无人舰艇，以使盟军能够共同训练，捍卫菲律宾主权。

他还表示，盟军还同意在菲律宾群岛最北端的巴丹群岛省进行特种作战部队训练，该省与台湾隔海相望。

除了中国和菲律宾之外，越南、马来西亚、文莱和台湾也对这条繁忙的水道拥有重叠的主权声索。

华盛顿并未对该水道提出任何主权声索，但一再警告说，如果菲律宾军队、舰船​​和飞机遭到武装攻击，包括在南海，美国有义务保卫菲律宾——其在亚洲最古老的条约盟友。