The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the United States military wrapped up the 41st iteration of “Exercise Balikatan” on Friday, May 8, at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City as defense and military leaders described the drills as preparation for “warfighting in the 21st century” amid...
Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Gilberto C. Teodoro Jr. and Japan Minister of Defense Shinjiro Koizumi on Wednesday, May 6, witnessed a live-fire maritime strike drill in Paoay, Ilocos Norte which marked Tokyo’s first deployment of its shore-based anti-ship missile system on...
The United States approved a possible $150 million sale of Bell 505 Jet Ranger X helicopters to the Philippines, a move seen to strengthen Manila’s pilot training capability and support its military modernization program. In a statement Tuesday, May 5, the US Department of State said it had...
The United States military launched a Tomahawk cruise missile using its Typhon Mid-Range Capability (MRC) missile system from a civilian airport in Tacloban City on Tuesday midnight, May 5, with the precision strike traveling 530 kilometers across the eastern seaboard to hit a target in Nueva...
The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and United States military will hold a counter-landing live fire exercise at the La Paz Sand Dunes in Laoag, Ilocos Norte on Monday, May 4, as part of this year’s Exercise Balikatan. The AFP said the exercise would simulate the defense of Northern Luzon...
The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) deployed its ships and aircraft to drive away four Chinese research vessels detected operating in Philippine waters without authorization on Sunday, May 3, as a separate civilian mission to Pag-asa (Thitu) Island in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) drew praise from the...
The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on Friday, May 1, backed a civilian-led mission to Pag-asa Island as organizers set sail to deliver aid and assert the country’s rights in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) but was shadowed by a China Coast Guard (CCG) ship. AFP spokesperson for WPS Roy...
Filipino and American forces have successfully integrated advanced air defense systems to counter “drone warfare” during the 41st interation of Exercise Balikatan, just as reports revealed a massive new Chinese dredging project in the South China Sea (SCS). The four-day Integrated Air and...
Philippine and allied forces staged a large-scale coastal defense drill on Monday, April 27, simulating an enemy amphibious landing in a town facing the West Philippine Sea (WPS). The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), together with the United States Armed Forces, Australian Defence Force, and...
The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) disputed the military’s account of the April 19 operation in Toboso, Negros Occidental, saying only a small number of those killed were its fighters while the rest were civilians. In a statement, CPP chief information officer Marco Valbuena said only...
The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) has installed a new commander of the Western Command, a Palawan-based unit responsible for operations in the country’s western maritime territories, including the West Philippine Sea (WPS). AFP Chief, General Romeo Brawner Jr. presided over the change of...
Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Chief, Gen. Romeo S. Brawner Jr. lauded troops for its “successful” April 19 operation against communist rebels in Toboso, Negros Occidental that left 19 people dead even as a human rights group renewed calls for an independent probe into what it claimed...