US, PH ‘Balikatan’ 2024 to include ‘cyberspace, information warfare’

MANILA, Philippines — The 39th iteration of war games between the Philippines and the United States will include the cyber domain, an Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) official said on Tuesday.

AFP spokesperson Col. Fransel Margareth Padilla said this addition is part of both armed forces’ goal to add more challenge and more complexity for the upcoming drills.

“We are doing things a little differently,” Padilla said in a regular press briefing in Camp Aguinaldo.

READ: Brawner: Cyber defense equipment part of AFP modernization’s 3rd phase

“Aside from kinetic activities and littoral, airspace and land, we will also be doing exercises in the nonphysical domain such as cyberspace and information warfare,” she added.

This development is in line with the military’s move to bolster its cyber defense capabilities, culminating with the creation of AFP’s Cyber Command.

READ: AFP to focus on cyber warfare — Brawner

Padilla also said that the “Balikatan” (shoulder-to-shoulder) will be held in “key” locations around the country, but did not further elaborate.

However, officials said military detachments on the uninhabited Mavulis Island and Basco town in Batanes province are being eyed as one of the potential venues of the military exercise.

READ: Northernmost PH islands facing Taiwan eyed as ‘Balikatan’ sites

These areas are part of the country’s northernmost islands and closest to Taiwan, a self-ruled island that China regards as a renegade province subject to reunification.

This year’s Balikatan exercise between both countries will be held in April.

Last year’s iteration of the joint exercises was so far the largest with over 17,000 troops taking part.

READ: AFP: US-PH to hold ‘largest-ever’ war games with 17,600 troops