Philippines, US hold Balikatan joint military exercise

The Philippines and the United States kicked off a Balikatan joint military exercise on Monday. A total of over 16,000 troops from the two countries are taking part in the annual exercise.

About 250 personnel from France and Australia will also join the activities, which run through 10thMay. Vessels from the Philippines, the US and France will hold drills in areas within Manila's exclusive economic zone. US and Philippine troops will conduct live-ammunition drills with the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, which is capable of long-range precision strikes. Manila aims to strengthen security cooperation with its partners through the multilateral exercise.