RP, US set 17 military exercises next year

Amid strengthening military cooperation between the Philippines and the United States under the Mutual Defense Treaty of 1957, at least 17 military exercises are set to be conducted in 2003 between both countries as well as other nations.

According to documents obtained by The STAR, most of the scheduled exercises are expected to focus on anti-insurgency and counter-terrorist operations.

The 17 exercises include three multilateral exercises that may include participants or observers from still unidentified third countries.

However, the RP-US Mutual Defense Board is still awaiting the Philippine government’s approval of the multilateral exercises. The venues of the exercises were not announced.

The 17 war games are in addition to the year-long Security Assistance Training Module (SATM) that the US Pacific Command has prepared and will conduct for the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) next year, a senior Camp Aguinaldo official told The STAR.

The SATM, estimated to cost about $25 million to be paid by the US, will include training and equipage of two more counterterrorist Light Reaction Companies, training of eight Army and Marine light infantry battalions as well as training on night flight operations, intelligence and remote command-and-control.

The first exercise to be held is "Balance Piston 03-2" which is expected to last for three months beginning Jan. 22.

Balance Piston will be followed by Marine Incremental Exercise (MIX) Program in February involving battalion-level training in jungle skills, communications and ground orientation.

From April 28 to May 9, the second "Balikatan" exercise will be held, following the successful Balikatan 02-1 exercise this year.

The small-scale Makani Pahili and Palah 03-2 exercises are expected to follow the Balikatan exercise on June 3.

From Oct. 7 to Nov. 22 will be the overlapping Balance Piston 03-2 and Flash Piston 03-3.

Other planned war games with no final dates are Exercise Talon Vision 03-2 and CARAT 03, both meant to follow-up the equally successful exercises earlier this year.

Also pending approval are the multilateral exercises MarSeaex, tentatively scheduled for the second quarter; Cooperative Cope Thunder planned for June 3; and SEACAT, slated either for the third or fourth quarter.