US troops arrive in Philippines for military exercises
PLA Daily 2004-02-16
MANILA, Feb. 15 (Xinhuanet) -- The first batch of 2,500 US soldiers arrived in the Philippines Sunday for joint military exercises with local troops, the military said.
Around 600 US soldiers arrived at the former US naval base at Subic Bay, 70 km northwest of Manila, by ship from their base in Okinawa, Japan, the military said.
The 2,500 US soldiers and 2,300 Philippine soldiers will start their two-week Balikatan (Shoulder to Shoulder) 2004 joint drills from Feb. 23 in the northern island of Luzon and the western island of Palawan to improve combined planning, combat readiness and interoperability, the military said earlier.
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo said last week that the coming joint military exercises were aimed at strengthening Philippines' national security, but she explained that the war games have nothing to do with Manila's sovereignty claim to the disputed islands in the South China Sea.
The island province of Palawan lies close to those disputed islands.
|
NEWSLETTER
|
| Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list |
|
|
|
