LAOAG, Philippines (AP) — The United States, Australia, and the Philippines utilized military force on Wednesday, initiating a series of high-precision rockets, artillery fire, and airstrikes to sink a ship. This action was part of large-scale war drills in waters facing the disputed South China Sea, actions that have antagonized Beijing. Military officials, diplomats from several countries, journalists, and other observers witnessed the display of firepower from a hilltop along a sandy coast in Laoag City, located in Ilocos Norte, the northern home province of Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
The annual combat-readiness drills, called Balikatan (Tagalog for "shoulder-to-shoulder"), began on April 22 and will end on Friday. More than 16,000 military personnel from the United States and the Philippines, supported by a few hundred Australian troops and military observers from 14 countries, are participating. This demonstrates the strengthened defense treaty alliance between the United States and the Philippines that began in the 1950s.
President Marcos has directed the military to shift its focus from decades-long domestic anti-insurgency operations to external defense, given China's increasingly aggressive actions in the South China Sea, which have become a top concern. This strategic shift aligns with President Joe Biden's efforts to reinforce an arc of alliances in the Indo-Pacific region to counter China
China's actions, including repeated harassment of Philippine navy and coast guard ships using powerful water cannons, a military-grade laser, and other dangerous maneuvers near disputed South China Sea shoals, have caused tension. The Philippines, supported by the U.S. and its allies, has cited a 2016 international arbitration ruling that invalidated China's claim over virtually the entire South China Sea on historical grounds. China, however, rejected the ruling and continues to defy it.
The combat-readiness drills aimed to bolster the Philippines' coastal defense and disaster-response capabilities, according to Philippine military officials, who claimed they were not targeting any specific country. China has opposed military drills involving U.S. forces in the region, warning that such actions would escalate tensions and disrupt regional stability and peace.
In February last year, Marcos approved a wider U.S. military presence in the Philippines, allowing rotating groups of American military forces to stay in four more Philippine military camps. This decision, a departure from his predecessor Rodrigo Duterte's stance, was strongly opposed by China, which warned against actions that could harm its security and territorial interests or interfere in territorial disputes.
The Philippines has reiterated its right to defend its sovereignty and territorial interests, emphasizing the importance of its alliance with the United States. Jose Romualdez, the Philippine ambassador to Washington, emphasized the significance of this alliance, stating, "An alliance is very important to show China that you may have all the ships that you have, but we have a lot of firepower to sink all of them."