RP-US war games in Basilan set

JOLO, Sulu — The United States and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) have scheduled a counter-terrorism exercise to be held in Basilan next month, according to a visiting US military official here.

Lt. Col. Greg Wilson, head of the US military contingent under the US Pacific Command, said the war exercise — known as "Balance Piston" — would start by mid-April.

"We will go back to Basilan to observe and train our counterparts in the AFP," Wilson told journalists here.

Wilson, whose contingent is based in Zamboanga City, has been observing the Filipino forces that were trained by the US during last year’s Bayanihan counter-terrorism exercises.

According to him, a battalion of Marines that they had trained under the Light Infantry Battalion (LIB) is now in Sulu to support the Southern Command (Southcom) operation in order to flush out terrorist bandits.

"All these effort and support is part of our common goals in the anti-terrorism campaign," said Wilson who joined Southcom chief Lt. Gen. Alberto Braganza in observing development efforts in this province.

It is not yet certain how many Filipino troops and their US counterparts would be deployed for the war exercise in Basilan.

Three years ago, the RP-US Balikatan 02-1 war exercise successfully flushed out key Abu Sayyaf leaders in Basilan province and led to the rescue of hostages, including American missionary Gracia Burnham. Burnham’s husband, Martin, was killed in the rescue operation, however, while another US citizen, Guillermo Sobero, was executed earlier by the Abu Sayyaf.

The war exercise also helped the island province improve its economy, lifting the island from the 18th most impoverished province to the second most developed.

Meanwhile, the amphibious command ship USS Blue Ridge (LCC19) under the US Seventh Fleet Command is expected to arrive in Manila today for a scheduled port visit. With Capt. J. Stephen Maynard as commanding officer, the USS Blue Ridge is 620 feet long, 82 feet wide and displaces 19,290 tons fully loaded. The ship can reach a speed of 23 knots and has a complement of 819 ship’s company and approximately 240 staff personnel.