MANILA, Philippines — Lessons learned from past battles, particularly from the Marawi City siege, will be incorporated in this year's joint military exercises between the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the United States Armed Forces.
The Philippines and the US kicked off the annual Balikatan exercises on Monday, which would focus on counterterrorism and mutual defense.
"This year’s Balikatan will not only focus on humanitarian assistance and disaster relief which are, of course, very important here in the Philippines but also will incorporate training identified in the post-Marawi action… such as military operations in urban terrain," US Ambassador Sung Kim said in a speech during the opening ceremony at Camp Aguinaldo.
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The US envoy added that the Marawi conflict showed that working together would help solve complex challenges that countries face, including international terror networks as well as natural threats.
"No nation can or should have to face them alone. Whether natural disaster affects our neighbor country or man-made crisis causes communities to suffer, our countries will deliver more effective response when operating together," Kim said.
Kim stressed that the alliance between the Philipines and the US remains focused on improving the lives of the Filipino and American people.
In his opening speech, Philippine Armer chief Lt. Gen. Carlito Galvez acknowledged the US troops for providing real-time intelligence to Filipino troops during the battle in Marawi.
Philippines exercise director Lt. Gen. Emmanuel Salamat, meanwhile, noted that including the lessons learned from Marawi would be the highlight of this year's joint military exercises.
"We want both forces to learn from our past battles like in the Marawi [siege] and I think this is one of the highlight of this year’s activity. If you ask for anything new, this is the new innovation that both our forces will have during the exercise period," Salamat said in a press briefing.
According to Salamat, part of this training will be conducted in Nueva Ecija. The exercises will include operation in urban terrain, where there will be mock-up facilities designed to simulate the battle environment in Marawi.
This year's exercises will be divided into three sections—command post exercises, operational exercises and civic actions.
"The AFP and US Armed Forces will continue the commitment to improve capabilities in responding to crises, and advance regional cooperation and collaborative actions in addressing security concerns," the AFP said in a media release.