PERSONAL na sinaksihan ni Pangulong Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. Marcos ang live-fire sea drills ng Pilipinas at armed forces ng Estados Unidos sa Zambales bilang bahagi ng kanilang Balikatan Exercise.
Habang isinasagawa ang drills na may 2.8 kilometers mula sa Naval Education Training Doctrine Command (NETDC) sa San Antonio, Zambales, nagpartisipa ang U.S. at Philippine combat units sa combined joint littoral live-fire exercise, nagtapos sa field training event para sa Balikatan 2023.
Tinatayang may 1,400 Marines, soldiers, sailors, airmen at Coast Guardsmen mula sa dalawang bansa ang sumali sa Combined Joint Littoral Live Fire Exercise (CJLLFX), kung saan may kaugnayan sa “detecting, identifying, targeting and engaging a target ship” gamit ang iba’t ibang ground at air-based weapons systems.
“The exercise featured U.S. and Philippine weapons platforms delivering coordinated fires on a target ship, a decommissioned Philippine Navy corvette towed into Philippine territorial waters,” ayon sa kalatas ng Malakanyang.
Ang bilateral weapons systems na ginamit sa war games ay binubuo ng U.S. at Philippine artillery, High-Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) at Avenger air defense systems.
“State-of-the-art combat aircrafts were also mobilized including AH-64 Apache attack helicopters, Philippine Air Force FA-50 Golden Eagle fighter-attack aircraft, F-16 Fighting Falcons, U.S. Marine F-35B Joint Strike Fighters, and the U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command AC- 130 Spectre gunship,” ayon pa rin sa Malakanyang.
“One of the most anticipated weapons from the U.S. arsenal was the HIMARS, a full-spectrum, combat-proven, all-weather, 24/7, lethal and responsive, wheeled precision strike weapons system,” dagdag na pahayag nito.
Ang HIMARS ay isang “C-130 air transportable wheeled launcher mounted on a 5-ton Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles XM1140A1 truck chassis organic/assigned to Field Artillery Brigades.”
Itinatag para suportahan ang expeditionary, lethal, survivable at tactically mobile force, ang HIMARS ay may bitbit na isang launch pod naglalaman ng anim na Guided MLRS (GMLRS)/MLRS rockets o kaya naman ay isang Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) missile.
Habang isinasagawa ang littoral live-fire event, isang U.S. Marine Corps command and control at sensor network ang pinagana ang iba’t ibang firing platforms para madama ang kanilang target, i-develop ang firing solutions at makapag- deliver ng tumpak na integrated fires laban sa target vessel.
Ayon sa Filipino at American military officials, ang training event kumakatawan sa isang tangible demonstration ng U.S.-Philippine commitment ay naglalayong palakasin ang military capabilities at interoperability para makamit ang shared modern-day security challenges.
Ang Balikatan, isang Tagalog term na nangangahulugan na “shoulder-to-shoulder” o “sharing the load together,” ay largest annual exercise sa pagitan ng dalawang magkaalyadong bansa at 2023 ay tanda ng 38th iteration at largest iteration sa ngayon.
“It provides an opportunity for the two armed forces to enhance cooperation, increase capabilities and improve interoperability in conflict situation and disaster response,” ayon sa Malakanyang.
“A focus point in Balikatan 2023 was bilateral integration of command and control, sensors and multi-domain fires,” ayon pa rin sa Malakanyang.
Sa kabilang dako, may 17,600 participants ang nakiisa sa “exercise, developing interoperability and enhancing bilateral capabilities in the areas of maritime security, amphibious operations, live-fire training, urban and aviation operations, cyber defense, counterterrorism, and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief preparedness.”
Kabilang naman sa mga opisyal ng Pilipinas na dumalo sa nasabing drills ay sina AFP Chief of Staff Gen. Andres Centino, National Security Adviser Eduardo Año, Zambales 2nd District Rep. Doris Maniquiz at Zambales Governor Hermogenes Ebdane Jr.
Para naman sa panig ng Estados Unidos, ang mga dumalo ay sina Ambassador of the US to the Philippines MaryKay Carlson, US Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for South and Southeast Asia Lindsey Ford, at US Exercise Director Lt. Gen. William Jurney.
Ang Pilipinas ang pinakamahalagang U.S. ally at pinakamalaking recipient ng U.S. military assistance, equipment, at training sa rehiyon.
Matatandaang, nilagdaan ang U.S.-Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty noong 1951 at itinuturing na America’s longest standing defense treaty sa Indo-Pacific region. (Daris Jose)