SUMMARY
MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines and the United States will carry out annual military exercises next month in key locations including Philippine islands facing the South China Sea and Taiwan, as tensions with China in the region continue to simmer.
The exercises, called Balikatan or “shoulder-to-shoulder”, will move away from sprawling military camps in the countryside to locations in northern and western regions, Philippine army colonel Michael Logico told a briefing on Tuesday, March 5.
The move is consistent with the shift in the country’s focus from internal to external defense.
This year’s exercises, which a Philippine diplomat previously said could be larger than last year’s 17,000-strong drills, will also focus on cybersecurity training and “information warfare”.
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