Joint exercises between America and the Philippines are going on in the South China Sea. This military exercise started on 22 April, which is ending on 10 May. Apart from the armies of the US and Philippines, military observers from Australia and some other countries are also involved in the exercise.
America given message to China
The armies of America and Philippines are currently conducting joint exercises. Soldiers of both the countries launched Javelin missiles and practiced with howitzers, giving a strong message to China. With this aggressive exercise off the coast of the South China Sea, the Philippines demonstrated how it can thwart a maritime attack. The live fire exercise was conducted off the shores of Laoag, a coastal city in northern Ilocos province, the part of the Philippines closest to China.Experts believe that through this exercise, America has given a message to China that its aggression in Taiwan or the Philippines will be responded to. China has also expressed objection to this exercise.
Tension has increased for some time between Philippines ships and China Coast Guard in the South China Sea. China claims almost the entire area under its nine-dash line, which was rejected by an international tribunal in 2016. On the other hand, US and Philippines forces have focused on the northern and western coasts of the Philippines – the South China Sea and the Taiwan Strait.Parts of the exercise were conducted in waters outside the Philippines' 19 km territorial limit and outside Manila's Exclusive Economic Zone, which extends for about 370 km.
Occupation was also practiced
U.S. Marine Lt. Gen. Michael Cederholm, commander of the Balikatan Joint Task Force, said U.S. and Philippine forces fired missiles and used shore-based howitzers to sink five platoons of amphibious assault ships. In Batanes, a province south of Taiwan, US and Philippines forces also practiced recapturing Itbayat, the country's northernmost municipality.
This exercise has received a strong reaction from China. China also managed to disrupt at least one live fire exercise in the South China Sea. The Philippines Coast Guard said on Wednesday that a Chinese warship and two other vessels were spotted near Itbayat during exercises. The ships departed after the Coast Guard issued a challenge over the radio.
New weapons in action
This year's exercises also showcased new American weapons that could be deployed to the Philippines during a conflict. The US military deployed a new intermediate-range missile launcher, called Typhon, for the first time in the Asia Pacific region. It is capable of reaching targets from the northern Philippines to the South China Sea and Chinese bases in mainland China and Taiwan.
Colin Koh, a senior fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore, said the Typhon system was not fired during Balikatan but is now deployed to identify launch sites that could be used during a conflict. Is. Koh said, 'During the war you just have to go straight to these launch sites and fire it without any additional preparation.US and Philippines forces also used a hovercraft to land a HIMARS missile system on the western island of Palawan, close to disputed areas of the South China Sea.