Filipino, American troops start war games in South China Sea
MANILA - Some 7,000 US and Filipino troops Monday began their annual 11-day military exercise on disputed South China Sea waters, amid a tense territorial dispute between Beijing and Manila.
But US and Philippine officials stressed that the drill, which involves mock combat operations, was not aimed at China, which has protested military exercises by American forces in the disputed region.
"The conduct of this annual event reflects the aspirations to further relations with our strategic ally, a commitment that has to be nurtured especially in the context of the evolving challenges in the region,'' Philippines' armed forces chief Jessie Dellosa said.
The Balikatan war game will, apart from focusing on humanitarian missions and disaster preparedness, also include combat maneuvers like mock retaking of an oil rig supposedly seized by terrorists near the South China Sea.
"It is imperative for our ground forces to sustain operational readiness, keeping in mind the critical times that we are in now," Dellosa said, opening the war games. "It is during these times that our alliances (between the US and Philippines) must be reaffirmed."
This will be the latest of annual exercises established by the USPhilippines Mutual Defense Treaty of 1951.
According to media reports, American presence in the event is larger than in previous years as President Barack Obama last year announced strategic shift of his troops to the Asia-Pacific region.
The South China Sea triggered regional military tension last year when China sent warships into the waters, also claimed by the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, Vietnam and Taiwan.
Last week, another stand off was triggered when the Filipino navy stopped and boarded eight Chinese fishing vessels in Scarborough Shoal.
When US Marine Lt. Col. Curtis Hill was asked if China should be alarmed by the war drill, he responded, "There is no reason for anyone to feel threatened by us coming together, working through our inter-operabilities so we can better respond and help people across the region."
Comments
More Florida State News
RSS-
No charges in Fla. WaveRunner theft shooting
MIAMI -- Prosecutors in Miami-Dade County have decided not to file charges in the fatal 2011 shooting of a deaf-mute man who tried to steal a WaveRunner from a waterfront home.Prosecutors decided Tuesday that a boy who was 14 at the time should not be charged for shooting 20-year-old Reynaldo Munoz with a shotgun outside the home. Munoz was deaf and could not speak but prosecutors say the boy ...
-
Law enforcement investigates cold case lead
BROOKSVILLE, Fla. -- The FBI and local authorities in Florida are chasing a lead in the 20-year-old unsolved murder of a 12-year-old girl.The officers converged on a lake in Pasco County on Tuesday.Hernando County Sheriff Al Nienhuis says he is hopeful that there will soon be a break in the unsolved murder of Jennifer Odom. He added that it's one of hundreds of leads received in the ...
-
The Game 7 Winner is Less Important Than Why The Miami Heat Are Better For The NBA Than The Spurs.
LeBron James of the Miami Heat looks to move against the Oklahoma City Thunder during Game 5 of the NBA Finals on June 21, 2012 at the American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida. The Miami Heat won the NBA Finals, defeating the Oklahoma City Thunder 121-106 to capture the best-of-seven championship series four games to one. (Image credit: AFP/Getty Images via ...
-
Pembroke Pines BTU Deal Cuts Charter School Teacher Salaries
As children gathered around iPads, their parents were glued to the bargaining table at Pembroke Pines City Hall. City officials including the city's manager, attorney and human resources director met with the Broward Teachers Union to resolve a labor dispute ...
-
Minnesota Twins Elizabethton team bus in fatal Florida crash
Members of the Minnesota Twins' Elizabethton, Tenn., minor league team transfer their equipment after the bus they were in was struck head-on by a car in Florida. The car's driver died. (FCN-TV: Jacob ...
-
Miami forces Game 7 with OT victory
MIAMI - For years, Ray Allen’s routine has not changed. Show up for work hours earlier than just about everyone else, go onto the court and take hundreds of jump shots. It paid off for him on Tuesday. And he’ll be back out there on Thursday - since the Miami Heat season still has one game remaining. Allen’s three-pointer with 5.2 seconds left in the fourth quarter capped a ...
-
Officials Vote for 70-Cent Tolls on Dolphin Airport Expressways
After three hours of public commentary and board discussions, the Miami-Dade Expressway Authority voted 7-5 in favor of a 70-cent toll fare on the Dolphin and Airport expressways ...
-
Spurs Left to Rue Missed Opportunities Against Miami
MIAMI ...
-
MLB Arizona 3 Miami 2
Paul Goldschmidt homered in the bottom of the ninth Tuesday to lift the Arizona Diamondbacks to a 3-2 win over the Miami Marlins. Goldschmidt sent the second pitch ...
-
NBA Miami Heat level Finals series with overtime win against San Antonio Spurs
United States The Heat have forced the NBA Finals series into a deciding Game Seven following a 103-100 overtime win against San Antonio Spurs in Miami.The home side forced Game Six into overtime when Ray Allen made a three-pointer with five seconds left to play.With Miami needing a three-pointer to stay alive, Allen made the shot from the corner to tie the scores at 95-95 after LeBron James ...
-
Miami produce miracle comeback to force decider
As it happened: NBA Finals - Heat v Spurs VI The Miami Heat produced an extraordinary comeback to beat the San Antonio Spurs 103-100 in overtime today to force a decisive seventh game in the NBA ...
-
Miami Beat San Antonio in Overtime to Force Game Seven
MIAMI ...
-
Florida Southern Athletes Keep Piling Up Awards
Former Moccasins softball player Megan Brown was inducted to the Sunshine State Conference Hall of Fame on Monday and current Moccasins men's golfer Tim Crouch and swimmer Alli Crenshaw were named the recipients of the Hal Smeltzly Award as Florida Southern's Outstanding Male and Female Student-Athletes.Brown is now one of seven former Moccasins in the SSC Softball Hall of Fame. She ...
-
Couple Files Legal Action Against Shuckers
On Tuesday, Ellemberger was still in a neck brace and had her hand bandaged. Her husband Reynaldo Reyes says he hurt his head. The couple says the night of fun with their son, which turned into horror when the deck collapsed ...
-
Dont write off Alex Sink running for Florida governor just yet
TAMPA -- Alex Sink barely lost the 2010 governor's race to Rick Scott, and as she weighs whether to take him on again there is no shortage of armchair shrinks speculating about her thinking: o The sudden death in December of her husband, former gubernatorial candidate Bill McBride, was too big a blow for her to run another grueling campaign without him. o Sink wants to run because she ...
-
Police visit home of Patriots TE Aaron Hernandez
FILE - In this Dec. 10, 2012 file photo, New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez (81) holds his helmet as he steps onto the field before an NFL football game between the New England Patriots and the Houston Texans in Foxborough, Mass. State and local police spent hours at the home of Hernandez on Tuesday, June 18, 2013 as another group of officers searched an industrial park about a mile ...
-
George Zimmerman trial Juror says civil rights were violated
Jeff Counelis was dismissed from the jury pool in the George Zimmerman trial last Wednesday, reportedly because of a post he made on Facebook earlier this ...
-
Ireland Nugents new legs get finishing touches
ORLANDO -- A lot of work went into making 2-year-old amputee Ireland Nugent's new legs. After days of fittings and measurements, prosthetists spend Tuesday put the finishing touches on the limbs, which are custom fit to size and style. What's a girl to do with so many fashion fabrics to choose from? Ireland didn't pick just one pattern, Minnie Mouse is on her right leg, Dora ...
-
Chickens could come home to roost in Orange County
Chickens living in a backyard. Orange County is considering a new ordinance to make it happen in unincorporated parts of the ...
-
Police Sheriffs detective left gun in movie theater restroom
A 9-year-old boy found a loaded handgun inside an Ybor City movie theater bathroom on Sunday. Police say it belongs to a Hillsborough County Sheriff's detective, who was off-duty at the ...
-
Suze Orman Gay couples in Florida face unfair tax penalties
Celebrity finance advisor Suze Orman says regardless of how the Supreme Court rules on gay marriage, same-sex couples in Florida need to keep fighting to secure the same protection for their assets as those enjoyed by married heterosexual couples. “We have to gather our forces in this state and do what has to be done to make sure marriage equality is accepted in the great state of ...
-
12 school administrators get new assignments
Usually, the superintendent makes one or two administrative appointments over the summer. During Tuesday's meeting of the Alachua County School Board, Superintendent Dan Boyd made 12 appointments.All the positions will be filled by people within the county."I have not had to go outside the school district to fill vacancies, and I don't intend to do so," Boyd said.The district ...
News from around our Network
Comments
Have your say