Largest ''Balikatan'' drill between Philippines, US starts
By Robina Asido
The annual bilateral exercise between the Philippines and United States dubbed as "Balikatan 37-2022" formally started in a ceremony in Quezon City on Monday.
In his speech delivered by Defense Undersecretary Cardozo Luna, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, said this year's Balikatan exercise is the largest ever held.
“Today marks another milestone in the enduring alliance of the Philippines and United States, which we aim to reinvigorate and strengthen through our defense cooperation activities," he said.
“This year’s Balikatan exercise is no ordinary iteration because it is the largest edition ever held, with almost 9,000 participants from the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the United States Indo-Pacific Command," said Lorenzana.
"We are, thus, sending a message to the world that the alliance between our countries is stronger than ever and that we remain committed to stand shoulder-to-shoulder in response to the evolving security challenges that face both our nations and the region," he added.
This year's exercises include the amphibious landing in Zambales and live fire exercises in Tarlac.
Lorenzana said "this year’s joint training activities are intended to strengthen the interoperability between the AFP and the US Indo- Pacific command" to readily and jointly respond to the mutual security concerns of the two states and contribute to regional peace and stability."As one of the premier military exercises in the region, it will feature a range of training activities covering traditional and non-traditional security concerns including counter-terrorism, humanitarian assistance and disaster response (HADR) capability and chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and explosives (CBRNE)," he said.
"Cognizant of the fact that responding to crises is not solely a military concern, this year’s Balikatan intends to heighten stakeholder engagement with other government agencies as part of joint inter-agency capacity building and capability efforts in attaining a whole of government approach especially in times of calamities and disasters," he added.
"The COVID-19 pandemic, which continues to affect many countries in the world, reminds us that problems, especially those that are transboundary in nature, should be dealt in unison by all countries and sectors affected. Aided by this lesson, we will continue to highlight humanitarian assistance and disaster response in Balikatan exercises," said Lorenzana. DMS
