US and Philippine marines storm the beach to simulate a raid during the joint U.S.-Philippines military exercise dubbed Balikatan 2014 Friday, May 9, 2014 at the Naval Training Exercise Command, a former US naval base. AP FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines – The Australian contingent in the Balikatan remains as observers in the war games between Filipino and American troops.
Lieutenant Annaleah Cazcarro, co-director Combined Joint Information Bureau for Balikatan 2014, said that members of the Australian Defense Force in the country would not participate in the military exercises that the Philippines and the United States would be conducting.
“Just as the previous years, they would not participate, they would only observe,” Cazcarro said Wednesday.
On Thursday, Balikatan shifts to Tarlac for a Rapid Response Force exercise.
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