Asia-Pacific war drills begin
By William Cole
Advertiser Military Writer
The Pacific Command's big spring and summer military exercise season is starting up in spots like the Philippines and Thailand with the usual strong showing, but with a new sense of urgency and commitment following Sept. 11.
Associated Press
Balikatan 2002, a two-week exercise in the northern Philippines with 2,650 U.S. personnel, begins today amid a growing antiterrorism and humanitarian mission in the south of the country involving U.S. troops.
U.S. Marines based in Okinawa, Japan, arrive in Subic, Philippines. The former U.S. naval base at Subic Bay became a beehive of American activity again as U.S. forces poured ashore for a three-week joint exercise with the Philippine military.
Annual Cobra Gold war games in Thailand, meanwhile, will include an anti-terrorism emphasis for the first time. Last year, the focus was on peacekeeping.
The largest exercise involving U.S. forces in the Asia-Pacific region, Cobra Gold will be held May 14-28 in eastern Thailand with about 14,000 U.S. personnel, 7,700 Thai forces and 80 members of Singapore's armed forces.
Approximately 1,100 soldiers from the 2nd Brigade of the 25th Infantry Division (Light) and the 17th Corps Support Battalion are among the Hawai'i contingent taking part in the 20th Cobra Gold.
"The cooperation from our longstanding partners and allies in the region since the events of Sept. 11 have validated the importance of maintaining military-to-military relations through an aggressive exercise and engagement program," said Pacific Command spokesman Marine Maj. Sean Gibson.
Some 73 American and 32 Thai aircraft are expected to take part in the exercise, along with six ships from the United States and 11 from Thailand.
Another 18 countries have been invited to observe the training, including China, Indonesia and Vietnam.
In the Philippines, the 18th Balikatan, which means "shouldering the load together," is intended to "improve combined planning, combat readiness and interoperability of U.S. and Philippine military forces" and "demonstrate U.S. resolve to support the Philippines against external aggression," Pacific Command said.
U.S. Navy photo
No major Hawai'i-based units are taking part in Balikatan, officials said.
The USS Fort McHenry will be participating in the annual Balikatan 2002, a two-week combined military exercise that begins today in the northern Philippines.
The Philippine Army has warned New People's Army rebels not to target the U.S. forces.
"The Americans are not in harm's way in Central Luzon. We have forces in and around (bases)," Armed Forces of the Philippines Maj. Gen. Rodolfo Garcia told the Philippine press.
The joint exercise involving multiple U.S. services will include approximately 45 aircraft, amphibious operations and night-flying skills.
The exercise is separate from an anti-terrorism campaign ongoing in the southern Philippines, where 660 U.S. troops, including 160 special forces, are assisting local forces on the island of Basilan to root out members of Abu Sayyaf, a Muslim extremist group believed to be linked to Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida network. The rebels have held an American missionary couple hostage for more than 10 months on Basilan.
More than two dozen personnel from Special Operations Command Pacific at Camp Smith and a Marine security element from Marine Corps Base Hawai'i in Kane'ohe are part of Joint Task Force 510 in the south.
On Saturday, 340 U.S. naval engineers from Okinawa, Japan, arrived to rebuild roads and port facilities, dig wells and build an airstrip as part of the six-month exercise that started in January.
Another big multi-lateral exercise, the biannual Rim of the Pacific, the largest maritime exercise in the world, saw the arrival at Pearl Harbor of 22,000 military personnel from seven nations and 50 ships for the maneuvers in 2000.
A Pacific Fleet spokesman said this year's RIMPAC, scheduled for mid-summer, will be smaller with the continuing need to meet the requirements of Operation Enduring Freedom.
