Philippines, US troops sink ‘enemy’ warship

MANILA, Philippines — Using modern weapons of war, joint United States and Philippine military forces fired rockets and sank a ship 12 nautical miles off the coast of San Antonio, Zambales facing the South China Sea yesterday, showcasing how Filipino and American troops can work together to destroy an approaching enemy vessel.

President Marcos was given a front row seat to witness how High-Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) and other artillery weapons systems were used to take out the target, a highlight of this year’s Balikatan exercises.

An old World War 2 Philippine Navy corvette formerly known as the PS-31 decommissioned in 2021 was used to represent an approaching enemy ship during the maritime and coastal defense exercise scenario demonstrating interoperability between the US and Philippine military at the level of war.

The HIMARS fired from the ground first targeted the central part of the ship to take out its communication capabilities before more rockets were launched to destroy it.

After sinking the supposed enemy vessel, artillery weapons were fired at some nearer targets represented by drums tied to bamboo, around 4.7 nautical miles from the shoreline.

Marcos was joined by US Ambassador MaryKay Carlson, Defense Senior Undersecretary Carlito Galvez Jr., National Security Adviser Eduardo Año and other top government and military officials in witnessing the live-fire littoral exercise.

The President, who arrived at 9 a.m., witnessed the almost two-hour long exercise from an observation tower and at one point was seen using binoculars, with the drills being briefly interrupted when a small private aircraft flew into the exercise’s air space.

The Exercise Directorate Headquarters of the 2023 Balikatan Exercises said this is the first time that a ship was sunk in the annual joint military training drills between Filipino and American troops.

Some 1,400 Marines, soldiers, sailors, airmen and Coast Guards from both countries took part in the training, which involved detecting, identifying, targeting and engaging a target ship using a variety of ground and air-based weapons systems.

“This training increased the exercise’s realism and complexity, a key priority shared between the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the US military,” Lt. Gen. William Jurney, commander of US Marine Corps Forces Pacific and US director for the exercise, said.

“Together we are strengthening our capabilities in full-spectrum military operations across all domains,” he added, following the completion of the Balikatan now on its 38th iteration and the largest to date, with more than 17,600 participants.

Both the AFP and the US military said such exercises provide an opportunity to enhance cooperation, increase capabilities and improve interoperability.

During yesterday’s live fire event, US and Philippine weapons platforms used bilateral systems consisting of artillery, HIMARS, Avenger air defense systems, AH-64 Apache attack helicopters, Philippine Air Force FA-50 Golden Eagle fighter-attack aircraft, F-16 Fighting Falcons, US Marine F-35B Joint Strike Fighters and a US Air Force Special Operations Command AC-130 Spectre gunship.

The AFP said the Balikatan exercises have increased in complexity and high-end warfighting mission sets over the past years, noting that focus was on bilateral integration of command and control, sensors and multi-domain fire.

This enabled expanded battlefield awareness, sharing of targeting data between geographically dispersed units and precision strikes in a contested maritime environment.

During the live fire event, a US Marine Corps command and control and sensor network enabled the various firing platforms to sense their target, develop firing solutions and deliver precision integrated fire against the target vessel.

The training represented a tangible demonstration of the US-Philippine commitment to strengthen military capabilities and interoperability to meet shared modern-day security challenges.

“This significant activity demonstrated new potential and revitalized the strength of our militaries while we continuously forge an ironclad alliance,” Maj. Gen. Marvin Licudine, commander of the AFP’s Education, Training and Doctrine Command and Balikatan 2023 exercise director, said.

“This event enhanced the interoperability of the Philippines and US forces in conducting combined joint operations utilizing both countries’ army, navy and air force assets in maritime security and territorial defense,” he added.

This was the first Balikatan held under the Marcos administration and the biggest so far. It was also the first time the exercises were held near the disputed South China Sea.

Marcos has sought stronger security ties with the US and other allies as intrusions and harassment by Chinese vessels in the West Philippine Sea continue.

The annual Balikatan exercises are among joint military activities under the US-Philippines 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty, which Marcos said he would bring up during his meeting with US President Joe Biden in Washington next week.

Clueless

Militant group Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) meanwhile scored President Marcos for witnessing the live fire exercises of Filipino and US troopers in Zambales yesterday.

In a statement, Bayan secretary general Renato Reyes said Marcos seems clueless on the implications of the military drills, noting that it will only raise tensions with China.

“The live fire drills simulated the sinking of an enemy ship in what can only be seen as a US warning to Beijing,” he said.

Reyes added the activity will escalate tensions in the region and drag the Philippines further into a military confrontation with China.

He said the US is using the Balikatan exercises to showcase its military might not for defense of the Philippines but for its own interests.

According to Reyes, Marcos is treading into a dangerous political ground with the US maneuvering for potential war.

“Mr. Marcos should know that this is not a harmless Command and Conquer video game,” he said. – Helen Flores, Emmanuel Tupas