US, Philippines kick off largest multinational drills since Duterte took office
A Philippine soldier trains with U.S. servicemembers during Balikatan drills in San Miguel, Bulacan, Philippines, May 10, 2017. (KWADWO FRIMPONG/U.S. ARMY)
May 08, 2018 Seth Robson - Stars and Stripes
The United States and the Philippines have begun their largest multinational drills under President Rodrigo Duterte, who sought to scale down America’s military presence in his country after taking office in June 2016.
About 8,000 U.S. and Philippine troops on Monday kicked off the 34th iteration of the annual Balikatan exercise — which means “shoulder to shoulder†in Tagalog — that runs through May 18 in the Philippines.
The U.S. has sent 3,000 servicemembers to this year’s drills — about the same number as last year — while the Philippines has increased its participation to 5,000 personnel from the 2,800 who participated in 2017.
https://americanmilitarynews.com/2018/05/us-philippines-kick-off-largest-multinational-drills-since-duterte-took-office/
