AFP: Balikatan 2025 will be a ‘full battle test’

ZAMBOANGA CITY , Philippines —  Armed Forces chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. yesterday branded the conduct of the Balikatan exercise next year as a “full battle test” to prepare the military forces for possible scenarios of external threats.

Brawner bared the plan of the biggest Balikatan exercise with their US military counterpart on the sidelines of the 18th founding anniversary of the Western Mindanao Command here.

The 2025 Balikatan will be participated in by the Australian Armed Forces and the Japanese Self-Defense Force as they have signed cooperative agreements with the AFP.

The annual bilateral military exercise between Philippine and US forces will be conducted in the areas of mainland Luzon and Palawan and will be held around April and May next year, according to Brawner.

“For next year’s Balikatan, we are going to conduct a full battle test, meaning we are going to test all the ‘complan’ (campaign plan) of both the US and the Philippines in the defense of our territory,” Brawner said.

However, the AFP chief was quick to clarify that the “full battle test” exercise was not in preparation against the mounting and leveling up of bullying engaged by China against the Philippines in the disputed West Philippine Sea.

Brawner also said they are not concerned with what other countries will think about the Philippine military territorial defense preparations, reiterating that the primary aim of the Balikatan is troop training and interoperability among the participants.

He stressed that next year’s Balikatan exercise will integrate all the field training activities, command post training and cyber exercise.

“That is why we call it a ‘full battle test,’” Brawner said.

The agreements for the exercise under the Mutual Defense Board and Security Engagement Board have been signed between Brawner and US Indo-Pacific Command commander Admiral Samuel Paparo during his visit to Manila early this week. Paparo visited a number of the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement sites where some of the exercises will be conducted.