Balikatan in Ilocos Norte: Philippines, US troops fire at ‘invasion’ force

MANILA, Philippines — Filipino and US troops fired missiles and artillery at an imaginary “invasion” force during war games at the La Paz sand dunes in Laoag, Ilocos Norte as part of the Balikatan exercise.

Thousands of troops are conducting land, sea and air maneuvers against a backdrop of increased aggressiveness of the Chinese in Philippine waters, as well as their stepped-up air and naval activity around nearby self-ruled Taiwan.

At a strip of the La Paz sand dunes 400 kilometers south of Taiwan, US troops let loose more than 50 live 155mm howitzer rounds at floating targets about five kilometers off the coast.

Filipino troops followed up by firing rockets aimed at wearing down the attackers, before the two forces finished the job with machine guns, javelin missiles and more artillery rounds.

Lt. Gen. Michael Cederholm, commander of the US First Marine Expeditionary Force, said the exercise was “to prepare for the worst” by “securing key maritime terrain.”

“It’s designed to repel an invasion,” Cederholm told reporters at the exercise site.

“Our northwestern side is more exposed,” Maj. Gen. Marvin Licudine, exercise director for the Filipinos, said ahead of the live firing at the sand dunes near Laoag City.

“The successful execution of this exercise underscores the strengthened cooperation between the Philippines and the United States in defending our shores. With every iteration, we continuously leverage the valuable insights and expertise gained to ensure regional security and stability,” Licudine said.

“Because of the regional problems that we have... we have to already practice and orient ourselves in our own land in these parts,” he added.

Beijing claims almost the entire South China Sea despite the issuance of a ruling in 2016 by the Permanent Court of Arbitration based in The Hague that China’s assertion has no legal basis.

China has deployed hundreds of coast guard, navy and other vessels to patrol and militarize the waters.

Just last week, Chinese coast guard ships damaged with water cannons a Philippine Coast Guard ship and another government vessel in water cannon attacks around Panatag Shoal.

More than 16,700 Filipino and American troops are involved in the annual Balikatan in multiple locations across the Philippines.

Maritime confrontations between China and the Philippines have raised fears of a wider conflict that could involve the US and other allies.

Monday’s exercise came days after the defense chiefs of the Philippines, the US, Japan and Australia met in Hawaii and issued a joint statement on their strong objections to the “dangerous and destabilizing conduct” of China in the South China Sea.

The defense chiefs “discussed opportunities to further advance defense cooperation” and to “work together to support states exercising their rights and freedoms in the South China Sea.”

Last week, US forces taking part in the Balikatan exercises fired HIMARS precision rockets into the South China Sea from the western island of Palawan.

The US Marine Corps said the maneuver was a rehearsal for the rapid deployment of the missile system across the Philippines’ South China Sea coast to “secure and protect Philippines’ maritime terrain, territorial waters and exclusive economic zone interests.”

The confrontations between the Philippines and China come as tensions have ratcheted up between Beijing and Taipei, which is about to inaugurate a new president regarded by China as a dangerous separatist.

Taiwan’s defense ministry said Friday it had detected 26 Chinese aircraft and five naval vessels around the self-ruled island in the previous 24 hours.

“To a degree, military exercises are a form of deterrence,” Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo was quoted as saying in remarks delivered on his behalf by an aide at a public workshop on Friday.