Next year’s “Balikatan” exercises between Filipino and American forces will give more focused on maritime or naval drills, in contrast to past editions which are more land-based and more intensive, according to Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr.
Meanwhile, Brawner also said they have yet to monitor the possibility of additional structures being built by China in Scarborough Shoal (Bajo de Masinloc) off the province of Zambales.
Owing to the more naval orientation of the 2024 episode, the strength of the participating troops was estimated to be at 16,000 personnel, a bit lower than the 17,767 soldiers who saw action in this year’s exercise, Brawner told reporters.
“Dahil nag-shift tayo ng focus sa maritime, hindi na ‘yun manpower intensive. Dati kung Army, land-based, ang daming tropa yan. Ngayon, pag shift ka ng maritime, yung barko hindi mo naman pwedeng dagdagagan ng tao, kung ano lang yung talagang crew nya, kailangan yun lang (Because we have shifted focus on maritime, manpower would not be that intensive. Unlike the land-based using the Army that requires a lot of troops. Now, if you shift to maritime, you cannot add additional personnel to the ships which have a definitive number of crewmen),” Brawner explained.
He said some of the possible maritime drills for next year’s “Balikatan” include naval gunnery, anti-submarine drills, resupply at sea, and helicopter landing drills or flight deck exercises.
This year’s “Balikatan” was held on April 11 – 28, and was considered the biggest in the 38-year history of the joint exercises.
AFP assets used included the newly-acquired ATMOS 155mm self-propelled howitzers, 105mm howitzers, S-70i “Black Hawk” helicopters, Embraer A-29 “Super Tucano” attack planes, FA-50 jet fighters, T-129 “Atak” helicopters, SF-260 light bombers, AW-109, and MD-520MG light attack helicopters, missile frigates, and landing docks.
Among the highlights of the exercise were the sinking of the decommissioned World War II BRP Pangasinan (PS-31) which was blasted by combined Filipino and American forces off Zambales last April 26.
“As of now, there are no structures in Scarborough Shoal,” Brawner said in an interview on state-run Radio Pilipinas.
Last month, the China Coast Guard (CCG) placed a 300-meter floating barrier near the entrance of the lagoon which was subsequenty cut by the Philippine Coast Guard upon orders of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
The AFP chief asserted that Bajo de Masinloc is part of Philippine territory, contrary to claims made by China.
“We are insisting that the area is not theirs and that area is in our exclusive economic zone (EEZ) Bajo de Masinloc or Scarborough Shoal (We are insisting that the area is not theirs and Bajo De Masinloc or Scarborough Shoal, it is located in our EEZ, Brawner added.
He also stressed that the AFP has the right to conduct maritime patrol and operations in the area due to the arbitral ruling that the islands inside the country’s EEZ can have the sole right to execute its sovereign rights as part of its mandate.
Earlier, the AFP chief dismissed claims that a Philippine Navy (PN) ship was driven off by the CCG while doing a maritime patrol near the vicinity of Scarborough Shoal.
While admitting that the PN vessel was challenged by the CCG, Brawner said the Filipino naval vessel was not chased and continued untrammelled with its maritime patrol mission.
On Wednesday, the Philippine Navy missile frigate BRP Antonio Luna (FF-151) and US Navy guided-missile destroyer, USS Dewey (DDG-105) held a gunnery drill as part of the on-going “Exercise Samasama”.
Target acquisition and engagement were practiced during this exercise, the Navy said.
“While, BRP Lolinato To-Ong (PG-902) ensured that the gunnery area was clear from other vessels and safe for firing naval guns. Ship’s crew of both navies occupied their respective stations in preparation for engaging the inflatable target ‘killer tomato’ deployed by DDG-105,” the Navy said in a statement.
The Navy said BRP Antonio Luna fired its Aselsan SMASH 30mm secondary gun and .50 caliber machine guns while the USS Dewey used its 25mm Mk38 autocannon and .50 caliber machine guns.