The Philippine and US air forces yesterday commenced joint exercises aimed at boosting operational coordination and enhancing “strategic deterrence,” the Philippine military said.
The drills follow months of confrontations between Beijing and Manila over disputed areas of the South China Sea, with significantly larger US-Philippine air, land and sea exercises set for later this month.
“Enhancing combat readiness and elevating joint mission effectiveness” would be central to the Cope Thunder exercise, Philippine Air Force Commander Arthur Cordura said at a ceremony to launch the drills.
Photo: AFP
Military ties between Manila and Washington have deepened since the 2022 election of Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, with Manila pushing back on sweeping Chinese claims in the South China Sea that an international tribunal has ruled are without merit.
The US Department of State last week approved a long-mooted sale of F-16 jets to the Philippines, although Manila said the deal was “still in the negotiation phase.”
Speaking at yesterday’s ceremony, US Major General Christopher Sheppard said that “the pace of our alliance is accelerating.”
Cope Thunder, which is to continue through Friday next week, aims to enhance “asymmetric warfare capabilities,” operational coordination and strategic deterrence, the Philippine Air Force said.
“Further down the road, we look forward to the seamless transition to exercise Balikatan, which will continue to push the boundaries of our interoperability,” Cordura said.
Like the majority of Balikatan’s planned activities, Cope Thunder is to be conducted on northern Luzon island, the area of the Philippines closest to Taiwan.
As China encircled Taiwan with planes and ships in a simulated blockade last week, Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief of Staff General Romeo Brawner Jr warned troops that their nation would “inevitably” be involved should Taiwan be invaded.
Manila later said that Brawner’s comments were primarily referencing efforts to retrieve Filipino workers from Taiwan.
The Ministry of the Interior (MOI) is to tighten rules for candidates running for public office, requiring them to declare that they do not hold a Chinese household registration or passport, and that they possess no other foreign citizenship. The requirement was set out in a draft amendment to the Enforcement Rules of the Public Officials Election and Recall Act (公職人員選舉罷免法 ) released by the ministry on Thursday. Under the proposal, candidates would need to make the declaration when submitting their registration forms, which would be published in the official election bulletin. The move follows the removal of several elected officials who were
The Republic of China (ROC) is celebrating its 114th Double Ten National Day today, featuring military parades and a variety of performances and speeches in front of the Presidential Office in Taipei. The Taiwan Taiko Association opened the celebrations with a 100-drummer performance, including young percussionists. As per tradition, an air force Mirage 2000 fighter jet flew over the Presidential Office as a part of the performance. The Honor Guards of the ROC and its marching band also heralded in a military parade. Students from Taichung's Shin Min High School then followed with a colorful performance using floral imagery to represent Taiwan's alternate name
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