Photo Courtesy | U. S. Embassy in the Phil.
PUERTO PRINCESA CITY – Labing-apat (14) na mga bansa ang lalahok sa isasagawang Balikatan 2024 sa Pilipinas na magsisimula sa darating na ika-22 ng Abril hanggang Mayo 10.
Ayon sa US Embassy, ang pinakamalaking bilateral na pagsasanay sa pagitan ng dalawang bansa ay pangungunahan ng Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) at ng U. S. Military.
Ito na umano ang ika-39 na Balikatan sa Pilipinas na kung saan ay lalahukan ito ng iba’t ibang bansa gaya ng Brunei, Canada, France, Germany, Great Britain, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Republic of Korea, Singapore, Thailand, at Vietnam, na bilang bahagi ng AFP-hosted international observer program.
Mahigit 16,000 miyembro ng AFP at militar ng US ang magkatuwang na magsasanay ngayong taon.
Sa panahon ng Balikatan 2024, isasagawa ng mga kalahok ang isang hanay ng mga kumplikadong misyon sa mga domain, kabilang ang maritime security, sensing at pag-target, air at missile defense, dynamic missile strike, cyber defense, at information operations.
Magsasagawa rin ang Philippine Navy, U.S. Navy, at French Navy ng Multilateral Maritime Exercise sa exclusive economic zone ng Pilipinas.
“This year’s Balikatan Exercise underscores our steadfast dedication to amplify interoperability and readiness by collaborating with our friends, partners, and ally,” ani AFP Chief of Staff Gen. Romeo S. Brawner Jr. “Together, we speed up our march towards enhancing our military capabilities for maritime security alongside honing other competencies in order to effectively address the dynamic challenges across all domains.”
“Each year, we work closely with AFP senior leaders to make Balikatan more challenging. This year, we’ve increased the scope, scale, and complexity across all domains,” ayon kay Lt. Gen. William M. Jurney, commander of U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Pacific and the U.S. military officer responsible for designing, planning and conducting the exercise. “We’re building military readiness across the full range of combined and joint operations. It’s our most expansive Balikatan yet.”
“Balikatan is more than an exercise; it’s a tangible demonstration of our shared commitment to each other. It matters for regional peace, it matters for regional stability,” Lt. Gen. Jurney said. “When we increase our mutual response and defense capabilities, we strengthen our ability to promote regional security and protect our shared interests.”
Samantala, sa unang pagkakataon sa kasaysayan ng Balikatan, ang French Navy ay sasali rin sa Balikatan exercise, pati na rin ang mga contingent mula sa Australian Defense Force.
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