SOME 5,100 U.S. military personnel will train shoulder-to-shoulder with around 3,800 members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) focusing on maritime security, amphibious operations, live-fire training, urban operations, aviation operations, counterterrorism, and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.

Dubbed as “Balikatan 2022,” the joint military exercise is touted to be the largest-ever iteration of the annual joint military exercise taking place in Luzon from March 28 to April 8.

“Balikatan is a critical opportunity to work shoulder-to-shoulder with our Philippine allies toward a ‘free and open Indo-Pacific that is more connected, prosperous, secure, and resilient,’ as our Indo-Pacific Strategy calls for.  The U.S. is proud to continue our participation in this long-standing exercise,” said U.S. Embassy in the Philippines Chargé d’Affaires ad interim Heather Variava. 

“During Balikatan, the U.S. military and AFP will train together to expand and advance shared tactics, techniques, and procedures that strengthen our response capabilities and readiness for real-world challenges,” said Maj. Gen. Jay Bargeron, 3rd Marine Division Commanding General.  “The friendship and trust between our forces will enable us to accomplish any mission across the spectrum of military operations.” 

The exercise also includes a command post exercise that tests the AFP and U.S. forces’ ability to plan, command, and communicate with each other in a simulated environment.  This training will bolster the collective security and defensive capabilities of the alliance. 

“Exercise Balikatan is a testament to the strength of the Philippines and United States’ security relationship,” said Maj. Gen. Charlton Sean Gaerlan, AFP Exercise Director for Balikatan 22.  “The experience gained in the exercise complements our security cooperation endeavors and will help to enhance existing mutual security efforts.” 

The AFP and U.S. military will also conduct multiple humanitarian and civic assistance projects during this year’s Balikatan, including the renovation of four elementary schools, multiple community health engagements, and the exchange of advanced emergency rescue and lifesaving techniques. 

These construction projects, health engagements and community relations events improve local infrastructure, facilitate the exchange of lifesaving medical skills, and strengthen ties between Philippine communities and Philippine and American military forces. 

COVID-19 mitigation remains a priority for both nations. U.S. forces will comply with all Philippine government COVID-19 travel regulations and will maintain social distancing and wear face masks during exercises as operationally feasible. 

“Balikatan” is a Tagalog term that means “shoulder-to-shoulder” or “sharing the load together,” which characterizes the spirit of the exercise and represents the alliance between the Philippines and the United States. 

“Balikatan 22 coincides with the 75th anniversary of U.S.-Philippine security cooperation and a shared commitment to promoting peace,” said Maj. Gen. Bargeron.  “Our alliance remains a key source of strength and stability in the Indo-Pacific region.” 

Exercises like Balikatan strengthen international partnerships and the participating militaries’ abilities to rapidly respond to crises throughout the Indo-Pacific region.  The United States is proud to participate in this Philippine-led exercise to improve both nations’ capabilities across a wide range of military operations. 

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On January 27, the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps began training with the Armed Forces of the Philippines as part of Marine Exercise (MAREX) 2022 to further the maritime security capabilities of the U.S. and the Philippines.

During MAREX 22, the U.S. and the Philippines will conduct maritime operations training to boost their joint ability to enhance mutual defense capabilities and respond to natural disasters. Due to the pandemic, the forces will minimize contact throughout the exercise and implement protocols to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.

“We appreciate this opportunity to strengthen our enduring alliance with the Philippines in the Indo-Pacific region through combined amphibious operations,” said Capt. Karry DeWayne Sanders, commodore of Amphibious Squadron One. “Our shared focus of regional security, stability, and prosperity in the Pacific will continue to enhance our partner nation’s capability as it has for the last seven decades.”

Among the events for this year’s MAREX, which will last until February 2, are amphibious assault coordination and execution, subject matter expert exchanges, and integrated maritime operations such as search and seizure operations and tactical maneuvering.

“Our goal is to successfully integrate our forces during planning and execution to conduct a full-scale, expeditionary amphibious operation, side-by-side with our Filipino partners. This exercise will further strengthen our commitment in the Indo-Pacific region, as well as be a memorable experience for our Marines and sailors,” said Col. James Lively, Commanding Officer, 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit.

“We must continue to conduct relevant training that will improve our individual and collective capabilities,” said Maj. Gen. Ariel Caculitan, commandant of the Philippine Marine Corps. “MAREX is joined by our foreign counterpart and our major ally, the United States Marine Corps, that has long been training with us and sharing with us the duty to preserve regional peace and security.”

U.S. maritime assets participating in the exercise include the ships of the Essex (ESX) Amphibious Ready Group comprised of USS Essex (LHD 2), USS Portland (LPD 27), and USS Pearl Harbor (LSD 52) with the embarked forces of the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) to include Battalion Landing Team 1/1, Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron (VMM) 165 (Reinforced), Marine Attack Squadron (VMA) 214, and Combat Logistics Battalion (CLB) 11. Together, these units form a robust team to work alongside their Philippine Navy and Marine Corps counterparts.

As the U.S. and Philippines celebrate 75 years of security cooperation, MAREX 22 represents a mutual commitment to enhance the security and stability of the region.

Subic Bay Freeport — The suspension of the termination of the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) between the Philippines and the United States has raised hopes on the return of US Military presence in this former US Naval Base.

“From an SBF (Subic Bay Freeport) point of view especially post Covid-19, this is welcome because it means we can continue to be a staging point for Balikatan Exercise, host US and allied ships which will bring much needed income,” Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma told Subic Bay News.

According to a US Embassy statement today (June 2), the Government of the Philippines on Monday, June 1 “notified the U.S. Embassy in the Philippines of its decision to suspend termination of the Visiting Forces Agreement.”

“The United States welcomes the Philippine government’s decision,” the US Embassy said, “our long-standing alliance has benefited both countries, and we look forward to continued close security and defense cooperation with the Philippines.”

On orders of President Rodrigo R. Duterte, the Philippines officially notified the United States on February 11 this year that it would be terminating the VFA, which would have been effective 180 days later, or on August 9, 2020.

The March 27, 1999 VFA that allows temporary visits of US troops in the country, mainly for joint military exercises, is anchored on the RP-US Mutual Defense Treaty of 1951, under which both countries have an obligation to support each other in case of an armed attack.

Duterte’s decision to terminate the VFA was widely seen as a knee-jerk reaction on the cancellation of Sen. Ronald dela Rosa’s US Visa as part of a crackdown on Human Rights violators by the US government. Dela Rosa led Duterte’s bloody “war on drugs” during his stint as the country’s top policeman, and was party to the incarceration of Sen. Leila de Lima on what is believed to be trumped-up drug charges.

Reminiscent of the stay of the US Military in Subic as a US Naval Base beginning in 1899, the largest outside the US Mainland, shutdown in 1992 by the rejection of the Philippine senate of the extension of the RP-US Military Bases Agreement (MBA) then set to expire, the Subic Bay Freeport, as well as the outlying communities benefit from the VFA in various ways, including ships services, bunkering, supplies, and personnel spending, pumping millions of pesos into the local economy.

US Servicemen also conduct community outreach activities during visits, which include medical and dental projects, school painting and repairs, among others, one reason why the locals here are understandably pre-dominantly “pro-US.”

According to SBMA Chaiman Eisma, “I grew up in Olongapo at a time when the US base was still here and I experienced first hand the impact of such activities to the community.” (VVV)

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In the same way that the ships of the USS America Expeditionary Strike Group (ESG) patrol the seas to provide safety and maritime security against any threat, so too do the Marines of Defensive Cyberspace Operations-Internal Defensive Measures (DCO-IDM) in the cyber realm, according to 2nd Lt. Adam Kosianowski, 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit DCO-IDM officer in charge.

“For the first time, the 31st MEU embarked aboard the America ESG with DCO-IDM to ensure naval integration between Marine Corps and Navy networks, and that the networks are defended in the cyber domain in order to operate unimpeded by enemy probing and malicious activity,” said Kosianowski. “By supporting the America ESG, 31st MEU team, DCO-IDM provides another line of defense to friendly networks.”

The ability for the MEU to process information, communicate, and execute a wide range of missions relies on a safe and secure cyber network. While the wars of the early 21st century saw the Marine Corps operate uncontested in the cyber realm, preparation for the next conflict requires a robust cyber defense capability. DCO-IDM functions as a roving guard force that searches for unusual trends, benign content, or malicious solicitation in the cyber realm.

“The Marine is DCO-IDM. The Marine hunts, views the network from enemy points of view, and mitigates damage before the bad actor can anticipate and act,” said Kosianowski. “Practicing security standards and policies are important because it prevents the enemy from figuring out vulnerabilities, especially through lack of attention to detail.”

“Defensive cyberspace operator Staff Sgt. Ulises Villegas described how the adversary can take many actions to potentially exploit friendly networks. “Bad actors probe the network they are looking to penetrate, looking for vulnerabilities and openings on networks that are exploitable. Once inside, the enemy can insert malware, deny service and access, and manipulate and delete information. In worst-case scenarios, the enemy can export and copy stolen data onto their own networks for manipulation and nefarious activity.”

“DCO-IDM can identify and mitigate this threat instantly, using tools or applications that analyze data, filter content and counter enemy procedures for exploiting networks in order to give real-time information of any anomaly,” Villegas continued. “Marines can trace enemy breaches, complete counter-intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) back to their origin, and ensure the enemy doesn’t have access in friendly networks. The Marines review suspicious content and report out of the ordinary activity for follow on action.”

“In the past, the thought process of cyber security was reactionary with monitoring event logs waiting to be attacked,” said Villegas. “DCO-IDM is the opposite. The team, using up-to-date intelligence of the battlespace and potential enemy actions, is proactively conducting focused ISR of friendly networks, scanning for gaps, and closing potential vectors of attack and if directed upon identification, able to isolate, contain and even conduct local fires on threats.”

During Exercise Cobra Gold 2020 in the Kingdom of Thailand, 31st MEU DCO-IDM along with III Marine Expeditionary Force (MEF) Information Group (MIG) Marines, supported a Cyber Field Training Exercise at the Royal Thai Armed Forces Headquarters in Bangkok. The Marines as part of the U.S. team collaborated with five partner nations: Thailand, Japan, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Singapore, establishing baseline training and international standards to overcome language barriers and communicate in the same cyber language. U.S. Marine Col. Larry Jenkins, commander of III MIG, oversaw the collaboration between Marines and partner-nation forces as they worked together, problem-solving scenarios.

Anytime we work in a coalition environment, it’s positive, whether it’s cyber or one of the other elements of Cobra Gold,” said Jenkins. “Any time we have an opportunity to work with our coalition partners, it builds relationships and makes us a stronger.”

The refinement of DCO techniques, along with collaboration with Navy and other forces, improves how the team operates afloat. As the first DCO-IDM team embarked with the 31st MEU, their goal is to establish a framework so that follow-on teams are able to efficiently take over and improve the proactive defense operations. These teams will eventually build up and fully support all ships while forward-deployed.

The 31st MEU stays ahead of any threat by identifying world trends that may hinder its ability to maintain security. By employing DCO-IDM, the MEU stays true to its motto as “ready, partnered and lethal,” to face any threat including in cyber space, according to the 31st MEU commanding officer Col. Robert Brodie.

“The 31st MEU’s Cyber Unit patrols our network employing DCO-IDM to innovatively identify and engage potential cyber threats while reinforcing and maintaining the highest level of network security,” said Brodie. “As the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command’s crisis response force, our cyber operations demonstrate our adeptness to operate across all domains. We stand ready for crisis 24/7-365 and our cyber warriors ensure we are prepared to project combat power at a moment’s notice: ready, partnered, and lethal.”

The America Expeditionary Strike Group, 31st MEU team, is operating in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations to enhance interoperability with allies and partners and serve as a ready response force to defend peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. (1st Lt. Demond Glover, Communication Strategy and Operations, 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit)