US cancels annual large-scale drill with Philippines
The Philippines on March 27 announced the US military has cancelled the large-scale joint exercise dubbed as "Balikatan" between the two countries this year due to the threat posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Hanoi (VNA) – The Philippines on March27 announced the US military has cancelled the large-scale joint exercisedubbed as "Balikatan" between the two countries this year due to thethreat posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The biggest joint drill between the Philippinesand US,Balikatan was previously rescheduled for May 4 – 15 with upto thousands of troops expected to participate in.
In light of the extraordinary circumstances related to the COVID-19 pandemic and in the best interest of thehealth and safety of both countries' forces, it is prudent to cancel Balikatan2020, US Indo-Pacific Command chief Admiral Phil Davidson said.
Echoing Davidson’s view, Rear Admiral Adelius Bordado,the Philippines’ exercise director said: “We are in an extraordinary time andit’s clear we would have put many people at risk had we pursued Balikatan.”
Balikatan, meaning Shoulder-to-Shoulder, is themost comprehensive among the annual regular joint military exercises conductedby the two allies as it is designed to develop the Armed Forces of thePhilippines (AFP)’s combat readiness in territorial defence, and to enhance the two armed forces’ interoperability.
It has been conducted in the Philippines for morethan three decades and been participated by Australia since 2014./.
The navy forces of the US and the Philippines has conducted a joint patrol in the Sulu Sea off the southern coast of the Philippines at the request of the latter’s government.
The US Embassy in Manila, the Philippines, announced on September 15 that the US will launch a joint anti-terrorism drill with the Philippines in the Southeast Asian country and Hawaii within September.
Troops from the Philippines and the US on May 7 began a series of joint military exercises designed to hone their collaboration skills in anti-terrorism and humanitarian assistance.
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A joint military exercise between the Philippines and the US will push through as scheduled, despite the former’s decision to terminate the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA), the spokesman of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said on March 4.
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Illustrative image (Source: Navy Recognition) 
