MANILA, Philippines —Filipino and US troops on Wednesday staged one of their biggest joint drills for this year’s Balikatan.
The combined arms live-fire exercise at Crow Valley in Tarlac showcased the integration of ground and air assets of the joint troops to take down an enemy.
It features an amphibious exercise, military operations in urban terrain, and aviation operations.
“Service members from across the Philippine and U.S. militaries came together using their ground maneuver, artillery, mortars and air elements to successfully execute this complex live fire event,” said U.S. Army Col. Leo Wyszynski, 1-2 Stryker Brigade Combat Team Commander.
Around 7,500 combined Filipino and US troops are participating for the two-week exercise, which runs until April 12. A small contingent of Australian troops will also join the drills.
/atm