The US and Philippines have begun their largest-ever joint Balikatan ( shoulder-to-shoulder ) military exercises, including drills simulating “full-scale battle scenarios” with China, in the clearest sign yet of policy continuity from Biden to Trump in Asia.
As many as 6, 000 Filipino troops will add 12, 000 US forces for the 40th version of the tasks, scheduled to work from April 21 through May 9.
Notably, the US will send a subsequent Typhon mid-range weapon system to the Philippines, which it installed during Beijing’s protests last year and left in place.
More than 50 Western nations, including Britain, France, Germany, Poland, and the Netherlands, are taking part as watchers, while both Japan and Australia, which have visiting agreements with Manila and the US, are directly involved in the activities.
Apart from escalating tensions in the South China Sea, most just over the Sandy Cay in the Spratly group of islands, the Asian government has also indicated its potential role in any combat situation with China over neighboring Taiwan.
General Romeo Brawner, the head of the Spanish military, made it clear earlier this month that if China attacked the self-governing isle, it wouldn’t be a neutral observer.
Taiwan is seen by Beijing as a maverick territory that needs to be “reunified” with the island. Chinese President Xi Jinping has told the People’s Liberation Army to be ready for a fight with the US over Taiwan by 2027.
Zhang Junshe, a spokesperson for the Chinese Communist Party, quoted Chinese military affairs professional Zhang Junshe as saying that the Philippines seeks to use external forces to improve its “illegal geographical expansion in the South China Sea.” According to the analyst, these maneuvers will not only fail to meet their goals but also have important consequences.
This week’s Balikatan activities involve training both close to disputed areas in the South China Sea as well as near Taiwan. Participating countries will use some of their most advanced weaponry to improve connectivity and sign a common resolve to China’s growing risks in the region.
The Philippine Navy ( PN) will use its most potent anti-ship weapon, the surface-to-surface” sea-skimming” surface-to-surface cruise missile, made in South Korea. It will reportedly be deployed during the “maritime strike” ( MARSTRIKE ) portion of the drills that will simulate the sinking of a decommissioned ship on May 5.
Additionally, the Philippines will be putting its brand-new Brahmos hypersonic weapons, which were created in India.
The Americans will also send the Navy-Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System ( NMESIS ) anti-ship missile launcher, marking its first-ever deployment to the Philippines, in addition to the Typhon missile system.
The system’s 185-kilometer range makes it vulnerable to ships entering the Luzon Strait if they are stationed on Batanes ‘ northern islands straight across Taiwan, according to Naval News. The drills does not blaze the state’s missiles but may carry simulated fireplace missions, according to Spanish media reports.
Through an “integrated deterrence” approach, the US aims to encircle China’s regional interests by improving maritime safety connectivity and gradually establishing a” Wall of Missiles” stretching from Guam and southwestern Japan all the way to the north Philippines.
The US has created a detailed long-, medium-, and short-range hit system with a maximum variety of 1,800 kilometers, covering China’s southeast coast, the Taiwan Straits, the Bashi Channel, and the northeastern South China Sea, according to Zhang, who spoke to the Global Times.  ,
These areas where rockets are deployed will unavoidably be targets for counterstrikes in the event of a fight, Zhang said. The Philippines ‘ strategy, which is basically “opening the door to a monster,” will only have negative effects.
The activities were launched immediately after US Defense Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s attend to Manila, where he reiterated Washington’s “iron-clad devotion” to its South Asian mutual defense treaty ally and emphasized the need for enhancing sea deterrent against China.
With the nation’s crucial midterm elections set for the following month, the Philippines and its allies are also working to protect the country from bad foreign interference, including Chinese disinformation campaigns targeting US-leaning President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s government.
Top Filipino officials have directly accused China of supporting candidates who support Beijing’s positions and allegedly spreading false information ahead of the polls, which are intended to reflect Marcos Jr.’s leadership so far.
Earlier this month, top Philippine general alleged that” communist China is already conducting united front works in our country”. Romeo Brawner, the commander of the Armed Forces of the Philippines ( AFP), claimed that the Asian superpower is “already infiltrating our institutions, our schools, our businesses, our churches, even our ranks in the military.
The Philippine military chief warned against” cyber warfare, information warfare, cognitive warfare, [and ] political warfare” by China and its alleged proxies despite not providing specific details. Accordingly, cybersecurity was a chief focus of the Balikatan exercises ‘ opening days.  ,
The Cyber Defense Exercise ( Cydex ) was conducted by Filipino and US troops last week at several important locations, including Camp Aguinaldo in Manila, where the Philippine Department of National Defense is headquartered, the Western Command in Palawan, where Philippine naval operations are conducted in the hotly disputed Spratlys, and Clark Air Base and Subic in Zambales, which is facing the South China Sea, where the country’s largest overseas bases were previously located, and
Colombian Armed Forces and the Japan Air Self-Defense Force were among the observers who attended the Cyber Command’s Cybersecurity Incident Response Team, underscoring an emerging pan-Pacific security alliance with the Philippines at its forefront.
However, the Balikatan exercises ‘ maritime drills will be the highlights, with a growing emphasis on potential war with China.
The allies ‘ annual exercises were inaugurated by a live-fire maneuver in Zambales, a province with a strategic location close to the contentious Scarborough Shoal, 21 nautical miles west of San Felipe. The disputed feature has been under China’s de facto control following a months-long naval standoff with the Philippine Navy in 2012.
The Philippine Air Force, US Air Force, US Marine Corps, and Australian Defense Force will participate in a number of drills designed to improve joint responses to major contingencies this year, including the simulated sinking of the ex-BRP Miguel Malvar ( PS-19 ), a decommissioned Philippine vessel.
In the region, the allies will also display their growing missile arsenal. Last year, for the first time, Philippine naval forces used a C-Star missile to sink a target vessel in the waters off the coast of Laoag City, Ilocos Norte, which faces Taiwan.
The Philippine navy’s firepower range ranges from 3 to 16 km to as high as 180 to 200 km thanks to the Korean-made C-Star anti-ship missile installed on the BRP Jose Rizal and its sister ship, as well as the BRP Antonio Luna ( FF-151 ).
On top of their anti-submarine torpedoes, anti-air missiles, and 76mm main gun, the ships are expected to have twice as many C-Star launch tubes installed.
In this year’s penultimate drills, the C-Star missile, along with aerial assets from allies, including the Philippine Air Force’s FA-50PH fighter jets and the US military’s F-16s and F-35s, will be involved in the sinking of the Vietnam-era BRP Miguel Malvar ( PS-19 ) during the year’s penultimate drills.
The growing concern over a major conflict in the region, either over Taiwan or over disputed features in the South China Sea, is highlighted by the increasingly complex, sophisticated, and geographically expansive nature of this year’s Balikatan exercises.
General Brawner advised Philippine troops to” start planning for actions” in the event of an invasion of Taiwan during a visit to Northern Luzon Command headquarters earlier this month.  ,” Because if something happens to Taiwan, inevitably we will be involved”, he added, underscoring the potential need” to rescue” a quarter million Filipinos now working in Taiwan.
” These are the places where we think there might be an attack.” We have to prepare, Brawner told Filipino troops during his early April visit, not to sound alarmist. ” It’s very important that we prepare for any eventuality”, he added.
In response, some of the Balikatan exercises will be conducted in Taiwan’s northern waters.
The US will rotate their troops and advanced weapons systems in northernmost provinces like Cagayan, Isabela, and possibly even Batanes, as part of the expanded Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement ( EDCA ).
Marcos Jr’s home province, Ilocos Norte, temporarily hosted America’s Typhon missile batteries, which are capable of targeting military bases across southern China.
In order to prepare for a potential conflict in Taiwan, the allied states will conduct a “full battle test” of” all of the plans, all of the doctrines, all of the procedures that we have developed in the past years,” according to Brawner.
Follow Richard Javad Heydarian on X at @Rich Heydarian