PH, US military chiefs discuss expanding joint drills

Metro Manila, Philippines - Top military officials of the Philippines and United States have discussed expanding joint exercises in the country.

US Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Charles Brown Jr. and Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. tackled this and other issues during a phone call on Tuesday, Feb. 11.

“Gen. Brown and Gen. Brawner discussed military modernization initiatives, Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) sites and increasing the scope and capacity of joint exercises in the Philippines,” US Joint Staff Spokesperson Navy Capt. Jereal Dorsey said in a readout.

EDCA, signed in 2014, gave US forces “access to agreed locations in the Philippines on a rotational basis, for security cooperation exercises, joint and combined military training activities, and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief activities.”

The EDCA sites in Luzon are Lal-lo Airport and Naval Base Camilo Osias in Cagayan; Camp Melchor Dela Cruz in Isabela; Fort Magsaysay Military Reservation in Nueva Ecija; Cesar Basa Air Base in Pampanga; and Antonio Bautista Air Base and Balabac Island in Palawan.

Others are in Mactan Benito Ebuen Air Base in Cebu and Lumbia Air Base in Cagayan de Oro.

“Additionally, Gen. Brown emphasized the importance of domain awareness in their exclusive economic zone (EEZ),” Dorsey said.

“The US continues to closely partner with the Philippines and remains committed to maintaining a strong alliance founded upon shared strategic interests and democratic values,” he added.

Brawner also announced that the Philippines will hold its 7th Multilateral Maritime Cooperative Activity with the US and Canada within the country’s EEZ on Wednesday. Naval and air force units were expected to participate in the maritime exercise.

“The activity will be conducted in a manner consistent with international law and with due regard for the safety of navigation, and the rights and interests of other States,” the AFP said in a statement.

“This underscores our shared commitments to upholding the right to freedom of navigation and overflight, other lawful uses of the sea and international airspace, as well as respect for maritime rights under international law, as reflected in the UN Convention on the law of the sea (UNCLOS),” it added.

Brawner did not disclose the specific location of the joint exercise, even as the Philippine Coast Guard has been deterring the presence of Chinese ships in the West Philippine Sea, or the country’s exclusive economic zone.

China has rejected the 2016 arbitral award that invalidated its claims over almost the entire South China Sea.