Philippines, US Plan Drills In 2023 - Philippine Army Spokesperson

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 30th November, 2022) The Philippines and the United States plan to hold the next large-scale military exercises called Salaknib (means "shield" in Ilocano) in 2023 with the involvement of 3,000 soldiers, the spokesperson of the Philippine armed forces, Col. Xerxes Trinidad, said on Tuesday.

"Philippine Army (PA) and US Army Pacific (USARPAC) Salaknib planners are finalizing plans for the combined exercise that will include around 3,000 troops from the USARPAC's 25th Infantry Division and various PA major units," the spokesperson was quoted as saying by the Philippine news Agency.

Salaknib is an annual joint military exercise aimed at strengthening the cooperation of Filipino and American troops in a spectrum of military operations. About 2,200 Filipino and US Army troops participated in this year's Salaknib exercises. Next time the number of participants will be increased by 800 people.

Moreover, in October, about 3,500 Filipino and American soldiers participated in joint military exercises in the Philippines to curb "threat from China." The United States hopes to use military bases in the Philippines to prevent the possibility of Chinese military action on Taiwan.