Philippine, US forces attend opening ceremony for 'Balikatan' drills

The Manila Times

Philippine, US forces attend opening ceremony for 'Balikatan' drills  The Philippine and US militaries kick off three weeks of joint exercises that will simulate a "full-scale battle scenario," as the two allies seek to deter Beijing's ambitions in the disputed South China Sea. Around 17,000 troops are expected to take part in the annual "Balikatan," or "shoulder to shoulder" drills. "Nothing builds bonds more quickly than shared adversity," says US Marine Corps Lieutenant General James Glynn.  AFP VIDEO  Subscribe to The Manila Times Channel - https://tmt.ph/YTSubscribe  Visit our website at https://www.manilatimes.net    Follow us:  Facebook - https://tmt.ph/facebook  Instagram - https://tmt.ph/instagram  Twitter - https://tmt.ph/twitter  DailyMotion - https://tmt.ph/dailymotion    Subscribe to our Digital Edition - https://tmt.ph/digital  Sign up to our newsletters: https://tmt.ph/newsletters   Check out our Podcasts:  Spotify - https://tmt.ph/spotify  Apple Podcasts - https://tmt.ph/applepodcasts  Amazon Music - https://tmt.ph/amazonmusic  Deezer: https://tmt.ph/deezer  Tune In: https://tmt.ph/tunein   #themanilatimes #worldnews  #philippines

Transcript

00:00With that, therefore,

00:27and with a robust sense of mission and mutual respect,

00:33I officially declare Exercise Balikatan 40-2025 open, effective today.

00:43We stand as Balikatan means shoulder to shoulder,

00:47where the Philippines and the United States and all of us

00:51commit with a commitment to peace

00:53and a dedication to security throughout the Indo-Pacific.

01:00The showcase, if you will, of this year's Balikatan

01:04will be what we are collectively referring to as a full battle test.

01:09What is a full battle test, you might ask?

01:11It is the integration, the purposeful integration

01:14of real-world security situations relevant to the region

01:18with live, virtual, and constructive training opportunities

01:23that will give us as a collective entity

01:26the opportunity to demonstrate capabilities across all domains,

01:32across all services, and all forces.

01:34that nothing builds bonds more quickly than shared adversity.

01:39So use that adversity to stand Balikatan.

01:42Yes, sir.

01:44Balikatan is a big gravity.

01:47They'll be there when you are taking time off.

01:52Of course, for our concern,

01:55it's only for the veterans

01:57if you're passing more closer

01:58or in this one to our country.

02:01There is no specific call-out

02:05of an individual location or nation.

02:09This is not intended to be provocative in any way.

02:13This is intended to test our mutual,

02:15you know, almost 20 nations,

02:17our mutual integration,

02:20the collaboration,

02:23organizations that we've created.

02:24And we'll see you next time.

02:48We'll see you next time.

02:49Looks like this.

02:50We'll see you next time.

02:52Bye-bye.

02:54You

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