THE chief of joint operations at the Australian Defense Forces (ADF) has invited the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to participate in Exercise Talisman Sabre, a biennial exercise predominantly involving Australia and the United States.
Lt. Gen. Greg Bilton, chief of joint operations at the ADF, extended the invitation during his visit to the AFP General Headquarters in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City, on Tuesday, where he met with Lt. Gen. Charlton Sean Gaerlan, AFP deputy chief of staff.
Bilton and Gaerlan discussed the possibility of the AFP joining the biennial exercise to achieve common training goals with other like-minded partners in the Indo-Pacific region.
“It is normal for observer nations to participate in the next iteration of the exercise after having been an observer. Lt. Gen. Bilton asked what we’d like to do and achieve and the exercise design will be shaped to include these,” Lt. Col. Enrico Gil Ileto, chief of the AFP Public Affairs Office, said.
In the 2023 iteration, Fiji, France, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Tonga, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Germany attended as participants, with the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand as observers.
The two generals also discussed the ongoing PH-AUS Exercise “Alon” in Palawan under the Indo-Pacific Endeavor 2023.
Meanwhile, the AFP Northern Luzon Command in partnership with the US Pacific Fleet, local government agencies, and non-government organizations began exercises to strengthen international cooperation in disaster response.
This year, the Pacific Partnership exercise lasts from Aug. 22 to 31 in San Fernando City, La Union, with a series of humanitarian civic action activities aimed at bolstering the country’s capability to mitigate the effects of various disasters.
Also on Tuesday, Senator Risa Hontiveros said US-Japan-Australian navy drills can serve as a deterrent against China’s aggressive actions in the West Philippine Sea. But she added that diplomacy and politics should still be the method of choice for resolving disputes.
Camarines Sur Rep. Luis Villafuerte on Tuesday expressed hopes that the naval drills of the United States with Japan and Australia in the South China Sea could be a prelude to the Philippines’ joint exercises with these allies, and possibly South Korea, in the West Philippine Sea.
Instead of just sending diplomatic protests to Beijing over the non-stop intrusions into the West Philippine Sea, Villafuerte said: “The best approach for Manila at this point to better protect our seas is to double down on plans for joint patrols with the US and other close country-allies in our EEZ (exclusive economic zone) where, according to the Wescom (Armed Forces Western Command), over 400 foreign vessels have been spotted, most of them from China.”
