US, Philippines Begin Large-Scale Joint Military Drills to Bolster Defense Ties

The Philippines and U.S. marines have launched two weeks of joint naval exercise to bolster military ties, with Japan and South Korea participating in the drill as “observers” for the first time.

The Kamandag 6 is being held in the Philippines islands of Luzon, Batanes, and Palawan from Oct. 3 to Oct. 14. It involved 530 Philippine marines, 2,550 U.S. marines, and 100 Philippine Navy and Air Force personnel.

Some 30 Japan Ground Self-Defense Force personnel and 100 South Korean marines will also participate in the exercise, according to the U.S. Marine Corps.

“The Kamandag exercise certainly boosts our territorial defense capabilities as we continue training with our allied forces in the region,” Brig. Gen. Raul Jesus Caldez, acting commandant of the Philippine Marine Corps, said in a statement.

The drill will include a combined arms live-fire exercise in central Luzon featuring aircraft and high mobility rocket systems, as well as amphibious operations along the eastern and northern coasts, the U.S. Marine Corps said.

A U.S. Marine officer (R) gives instructions to Philippine Marines wearing protective gear and using joint chemical agent detectors during their chemical warfare exercise as part of a joint amphibious landing exercise at a beach facing the South China Sea in San Antonio town, Zambales province on Oct. 7, 2022. (Ted Aljibe/AFP via Getty Images)

The joint exercise on Philippine islands occurred concurrently with another U.S. Marines’ exercise in Japan involving 1,400 troops of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force and 1,600 U.S. marines.

The United States and the Philippines are allies under the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty, which stipulates that both countries will defend each other if attacked.

The latest joint drill followed a meeting between U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Philippine counterpart Jose Faustino in Hawaii on Sept. 30, during which they pledged to bolster military cooperation to tackle regional challenges.

Faustino said that security engagement is “a key pillar of Philippines–U.S. bilateral relations,” and that his government would continue to engage in diplomacy with China to address the “volatile situation” in the South China Sea.

“We continue to engage with like-minded countries and make sure that the rule of law and the rules-based international order will prevail in the West Philippine Sea and the South China Sea,” he said at a joint press conference.

China has increased its influence in the South China Sea through its artificial islands and military buildup. It claims the majority of the South China Sea under its so-called “nine-dash line” despite competing claims with other nations.

Faustino also expressed concern over China’s ongoing military drills near Taiwan, saying that more than 130,000 Filipino workers in Taiwan could be in danger if Taiwan is attacked.

China claims Taiwan as part of its territory and has vowed to conquer it by force if necessary. Any attack on Taiwan could threaten Philippine security because of its proximity to Taiwan, which sits on the north side of the Luzon Strait.