Philippine, U.S. militaries agree to scale down joint exercises

The Philippine and U.S. militaries agreed on Tuesday to scale down their joint military exercises, reduce deployment of U.S. forces in the Philippines and focus more on humanitarian activities.

A Philippine military official said the agreement was forged here during a meeting attended by Gen. Ricardo Visaya, the Armed Forces of the Philippines chief of staff and Adm. Harry Harris, the head of the U.S. Pacific Command.

The official said even the number of U.S. troops, military aircraft and equipment will also be reduced.

A statement issued at the end of the annual Mutual Defense Board - Security Engagement Board (MDB-SEB) meeting said both sides reaffirmed the "robust" military relations between the two allies.

The statement said the meeting "highlights the enduring commitment of both countries to the U.S.-Philippines alliance."

"The successful completion of the MDB-SEB (meeting) ensures continued, robust relations between the U.S. and the Philippine militaries," the statement said.

Both sides said they "look forward to continued, close cooperation in areas central to both our national and security interests including humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, counterterrorism, cyber-security, and maritime security."

The high-level security meeting traditionally discusses the details of the joint exercises that both militaries plan to conduct next year. But the statement did not mention the details of next year's joint military activities.

Brig. Gen. Restituto Padilla and Col. Edgard Arevalo, spokesmen for the Philippine military, did not give details on the scale of joint exercises that both sides plan to conduct next year.

Arevalo said Harris and Visaya signed a list of activities for next year, but did not elaborate. He added he could not say yet if the number of joint war games was trimmed down.

The Philippine defense department had said earlier that it wants the number of joint exercises to be reduced from the current 13 to about six or seven. It added that the Philippines would prefer that these trainings focus on humanitarian assistance, disaster relief and counter-terrorism.

The defense department had also indicated that it wants to scrap the annual joint exercises like the Amphibious Landing Exercises codenamed PHIBLEX and the Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training or CARAT naval exercises, and just push through with the Balikatan (shoulder-to-shoulder) Exercises.

Padilla said the two sides also discussed the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) that Washington and Manila signed in 2014.

The 10-year renewable EDCA allows the increased presence of U.S. forces, ships, aircraft and equipment in the Philippines and greater access to Philippine military bases. Under the new defense accord, U.S. military personnel in the Philippines are to be deployed on a rotational basis. Endit