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For the last three weeks, the U.S. and the Philippines have been doing military exercises together. They happen every year and are called Balikatan. This year, Japan and Australia also joined the drills, which come at a time of simmering tension with China. From the Philippines, Jan Camenzind Broomby has more. And a note, this story contains sounds of gunfire.
(SOUNDBITE OF WATER SPLASHING)
REPORTER JAN CAMENZIND BROOMBY: On the sandy shores of the northern Philippines, the small shrimping town of Aparri has some new visitors.
(SOUNDBITE OF GUNFIRE)
CAMENZIND BROOMBY: The glinting of its crystal blue waters now replaced by the flash of muzzle fire.
(SOUNDBITE OF GUNFIRE)
CAMENZIND BROOMBY: We're on the beach, and the whole thing has been covered by U.S. and Philippine soldiers. There are tanks, jeeps, tents set up, and hundreds of infantrymen practicing live fire drills.
BEN GILLMAN: This is a counter-landing live fire, so it's a simulated enemy naval advance.
CAMENZIND BROOMBY: This is Second Lieutenant Ben Gillman, from the U.S. Marine Corps. He's participating in the drills.
GILLMAN: What U.S. and Armed Forces of the Philippine assets are doing is repelling these forces and preventing them from landing on the beachhead.
(SOUNDBITE OF GUNFIRE)
CAMENZIND BROOMBY: It's part of the annual Balikatan exercises - Filipino for shoulder to shoulder. This time, they're trying something different, employing new NMESIS missile systems, nicknamed ship killers, and engaging in the first-ever full battle test. The alliance goes back to a 1951 mutual defense treaty that commits Washington and Manila to respond in case of an attack in the Pacific region.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: This is China Coast Guard...
CAMENZIND BROOMBY: In recent years, that region has grown increasingly contested.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: To avoid miscommunication, leave the area immediately.
CAMENZIND BROOMBY: China and the Philippines have repeatedly clashed over territorial disputes in the South China Sea, or the West Philippines Sea, as Manila calls it. China has also stepped up its pressure on self-governing Taiwan.
(APPLAUSE)
CAMENZIND BROOMBY: In the face of this rising pressure, U.S. Lieutenant General Michael Cederholm sees the exercises as a success.
MICHAEL CEDERHOLM: Their complex security environment calls for alliances to bond together with common purpose. All this is done for the defense of sovereign Philippine territory.
CAMENZIND BROOMBY: At a time when allies are questioning Washington's commitment to their security, in Manila, the Balikatan are viewed as a sign of continued U.S. support in the broader region, the size of that commitment evidenced by the size of the drills. Although Cederholm insists they aren't conducted with anybody in mind, some see things differently. Chester Cabalza is the president of International Development and Security Cooperation, a Manila-based think tank.
CHESTER CABALZA: China has been involved in the evolution of the Philippines' strategy and how we look at our foreign and defense policies.
CAMENZIND BROOMBY: But that strategy isn't always straightforward. China remains the Philippines' No. 1 trading partner and retains strong economic ties to some Philippine regions, including Cabalza's own northern province of Cagayan. With Washington slapping 10% tariffs on Manila, the relationship with China is now even more complicated.
CABALZA: My province is polarized right now. If in case we go for China's support on our economy or we support the U.S., what we want is to build up our own military capability.
CAMENZIND BROOMBY: And speaking of building capabilities, those new NMESIS missile systems, well, they've been a success. The U.S. has confirmed they'll be sticking around for a while to be used in future drills. But not everything has gone so smoothly. We'd gathered in the naval command center to watch U.S. and Philippine assets sink a decommissioned ship in the South China Sea. But the event - it was canceled.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
UNIDENTIFIED SPOKESPERSON: The decommissioned vessel took on water...
CAMENZIND BROOMBY: Just a few hours before its intended destruction, the ship had already taken on water and promptly sank of its own accord. Perhaps a fitting analogy for the Balikatan exercises, a decadeslong ironclad defense commitment, trying to keep its head above water in an uncertain world.
For NPR News, I'm Jan Camenzind Broomby in Manila. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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