Largest-ever Balikatan generated 'favorable outcome,' exercise director says

U.S. Army Soldiers assigned to Battery B, 3rd Battalion, 7th Field Artillery Regiment, 25th Division Artillery, 25th Infantry Division, load a M119A3 Light Towed Howitzer 105mm during a combined arms live-fire exercise during Balikatan 2022 on Colonel Ernesto Rabina Air Base, Tarlac province, Philippines, March 31, 2022. Balikatan is an annual exercise between the Armed Forces of the Philippines and U.S. Military designed to strengthen bilateral interoperability, capabilities, trust, and cooperation built over decades of shared experiences. Balikatan 22 is the 37th and largest-ever iteration of the exercise and coincides with the 75th anniversary of the U.S.-Philippine security cooperation and a shared commitment to advancing peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region.

U.S. Army photo by Spc. Darbi Colson / 28th Public Affairs Detachment.

MANILA, Philippines — The largest ever military exercises between the Philippines and the United States came out with a "favorable outcome" despite COVID-19 limitations, an Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) official said.

The AFP and the US military concluded the annual Balikatan exercises on Friday. Approximately 40 personnel from the Australian Defense Force also participated in the exercises this year.

"The experience gained from exercise Balikatan complemented our security cooperation endeavors and helped enhance existing mutual security efforts," AFP exercise director Maj. Gen. Charlton Sean Gaerlan said.

Full Story: https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2022/04/08/2173214/largest-ever-balikatan-generated-favorable-outcome-exercise-director-says