500 GIs coming for new war games

CLARK FIELD, Pampanga — Marines from the US and the Philippines will hold another joint military exercise code-named "Phiblex" starting next month simultaneously with the Talon Vision war games between US marines and the Philippine Air Force.

Some 500 US marines are expected to take part in Phiblex and Talon Vision to be launched on Oct. 16, Maj. Allan Ballesteros, lead planner of the special operations wing (SPOW) of the Philippine Air force based here, said yesterday.

"Phiblex stands for Philippine bilateral exercise," he said.

"It was supposed to be held for the first time in 2003, but it was canceled because of bad weather.

"Officials were supposed to give a special name to the exercise, but meanwhile, Phiblex is being used," he explained.

The two military exercises are slated to last two weeks.

Ballesteros said the Phiblex would be the first joint exercise to be held exclusively between US and Philippine Marines.

"The 500 US marines we expect will participate in both Talon Vision and Phiblex," he said.

These joint maneuvers are different from the Balance Piston exercises, which involve the US army, he added.

Talon Vision will be held at Clark and Crow Valley in Tarlac. The valley was used for practice bombing exercises by the US military before they abandoned this former military base.

Ballesteros said Phiblex exercises would be held here, at Crow Valley, Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija and in Ternate, Cavite.

"There will be amphibious landing exercises in Ternate and combat land exercises at Crow Valley," he said.

Ballesteros said the Philippine Air Force’s SPOW will be the lead unit participating in Talon Vision.

"At least 120 SPOW personnel will participate in high-opening, low-altitude and freefall parachute jumps" with their American counterparts, he said.

"We will use the US marines’ C-130 cargo aircraft for the jump exercises," he said.

Ballesteros said that conferences have been slated between Philippine and US officials for the holding of the next Balikatan joint military exercises early next year.

"It will probably be held again in the South, but we will play a big role, too, as the billeting of the US military personnel is expected to be again at Clark," he said.

Unlike Phiblex, Talon Vision and Balance Piston military exercises, which are relatively small-scale, involving only a few hundred US military personnel from a single military unit, Balikatan will involve some 2,000 Americans from various branches of their military, Ballesteros said. – Ding Cervantes