AFP to join more international war games

Code name: Cobra Gold.

With American assistance, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) has drawn up a five-year plan to deploy Filipino troops in regional war games to improve their readiness to respond to local and regional crises.

Under the plan, a large number of Filipino soldiers will take part in Cobra Gold, an annual, large-scale military exercise involving the air forces, armies, marines and navies of the US, Singapore and Thailand.

Confidential documents obtained by The STAR show the AFP will deploy troops to take part in military exercises among the US and its allies in Southeast Asia.

"This will benefit our country, the Armed Forces, to improve its readiness to respond to various situations in the country or even in the region as the Philippines is often tapped by the UN to help in some kind of emergency in other countries, like East Timor," said Defense Secretary Angelo Reyes.

The latest Cobra Gold, the 21st since the war games started, was held in Thailand last May and involved training in peacekeeping and non-combat evacuation of civilians.

Next year, the AFP will send not only observers to Cobra Gold but officers from the major service commands to take part in command post and training exercises.

In 2004, the Filipino contingent in Cobra Gold will be upgraded to a joint task force to include observers who will participate in field training exercises.

By 2005, the task force will include troops taking part in training, and on the plan’s fifth year, the AFP will be participating in all levels of Cobra Gold.

The AFP and the US Pacific Command are planning to link the RP-US Balikatan military exercises to the multilateral team challenge exercise in the region.

Generally, the same phases would be followed but Balikatan would focus on multilateral responses to international and regional emergencies like peacekeeping, humanitarian assistance, disaster relief and United Nations operations.

Military officials said the increasing participation of Filipino troops in regional war games would not face difficulties because only US troops would be allowed to enter the Philippines.

"What we may lack in equipment, we will surely gain in training and exposure," a senior military official said.