By Ankit Panda
The annual exercise will involve 5,500 troops and focus primarily on disaster relief.
Following the conclusion of the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Act (EDCA) and President Obama’s trip to Asia, the United States and Philippines armed forces began an annual military exercise incorporating 5,500 troops on Monday. The exercise is part of the annual Balikatan exercises.
According to military officials from the two countries, the Philippines is contributing 3,000 troops to the exercises while the United States is contributing 2,500. Filipino General Emmanuel Bautista notes that the Balikatan 2014 exercises focus on addressing “non-traditional threats.” The primary aim of the exercise is to increase disaster response for the Philippines, which is subject to regular natural disasters, tropical storms and typhoons in particular, and thought not explicitly stated by either military, a second goal is to increase preparedness for defending Filipino territory.
Read the full story at The Diplomat