Indo-Asian News Service

Manila

The Philippines and U.S. on Tuesday kicked off the most extensive joint military activities in decades in the Southeast Asian nation amid criticisms that it escalates tension in the region rather than peace and stability.

According to the Philippine military, the 18-day yearly exercise dubbed ‘Balikatan’ involves 5,400 Philippine and 12,200 U.S. troops, making it the largest iteration of the joint drills conducted between the two nations in decades, reports Xinhua news agency.

About 100 members of the Australian armed forces join in the exercises, while a dozen countries, including Japan and Britain, are participating as observers.

The drills will focus on maritime security, amphibious operations, live-fire training, cyber-defence, counter-terrorism, humanitarian assistance, and disaster relief preparedness.

Hundreds of protesters, including League of Filipino Students members, held a ‘lightning rally’ on Tuesday, a few hours before the official start of the Balikatan
exercise.