US Army to conduct combat training in the Philippines

The US Army is starting a new training program in the Philippines to get better at fighting in tough conditions like jungles and islands. They want to make sure they have enough ammo and other supplies to be ready for anything. A US general talked about it.

The Biden government is building up military partnerships in the Indo-Pacific region to be better prepared for any conflict with China, especially regarding Taiwan. The US is helping the Philippines strengthen its defenses and respond better to natural disasters, especially with China’s disputes in the South China Sea.

Around 2,000 soldiers from the US and the Philippines will have training exercises using helicopters and artillery in the jungle in the northern Philippines in June. This was announced by Major General Marcus Evans, who leads the US Army’s 25th Infantry Division.

Manila has asked for the combat training to take place in the Philippines for the first time. It’s not certain if the long-time treaty partners will choose to make the exercises happen every year, according to Evans.

The drills from June 1 to 10 will happen after two other big exercises between the allied forces – the Salaknib army exercises, which started on Monday, and the Balikatan, which will involve about 16,000 US and Philippine forces and will start later in April. Many countries, including Japan, will send people to watch and learn.

“We need to be ready to help with humanitarian and natural disaster situations, and this training gives us the chance to do that,” Evans said in a phone interview with The Associated Press. “We are confident in our training, but we can’t be too relaxed about it. ”

The drill in June will help us improve our preparedness for battle, strengthen our partnerships, and enhance our skills by working together in a tough environment, according to Evans.

The training was set up to be watched live and show what supplies the US and Philippine forces would bring, like ammunition, batteries, and food, and how they would get more supplies in a faraway battlefield.

Evans said it is a way for soldiers, leaders, and units to see how they perform in a pretend battle.

The training in Hawaii has helped small and fast combat units share information better and improve how long they can fight. It helped us to survive in a jungle and island environment because we can’t rely on normal communication lines. We have to use planes or ships to bring supplies.

China strongly disagreed with the idea of having more American troops in Asia, including the Philippines. They said that it could cause problems and make the region less peaceful and stable.

Last year, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. became the President of the Philippines. He supported his choice to let the US military be in more Philippine military bases under a 2014 defense agreement, saying it was important for his country’s protection of its land.

China told the Philippines that having more American soldiers there would bring them into a lot of trouble with other countries.