14 countries observing expanded Balikatan

Phl, US, Australia, France set joint drills

- MICHAEL PUNONGBAYAN and PIA LEE-BRAGO

Representatives of 14 nations will arrive in the country as observers in the coming Balikatan exercises, the biggest multination assembly so far, to witness the annual joint drills originally conducted only by Philippine and US troops.

Organizers said this year's 39th iteration of the Balikatan - scheduled from April 22 to May 10 will have observers from Brunei, Canada, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, the United Kingdom and Vietnam.

Aside from the 16,000 members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the US military, contingents from the Australian Defense Force and for the first time in Balikatan's history - the French Navy will also participate in the maneuver, particularly in the joint sail.

For this year, a multilateral maritime activity or joint sail in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) will traverse the edge of the country's exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and launch attacks on an "enemy" vessel in Philippine waters, according to Lt.Col. John Paul Salgado, chief of the Combined Joint Information Bureau.

He said this year's Balikatan aims to bolster collaboration and readiness "across a spectrum of critical areas," including external defense operations, cyber defense, counterterrorism, humanitarian assistance and disaster response and interagency capacity building.