Philippines, US and allies start drills

MANILA:

Philippine and US forces will carry out maritime strike drills on a remote Philippine island near Taiwan during annual exercises that started on Monday, which Manila's military chief said would test their readiness under "real world conditions".

The April 20 to May 8 exercises known as "Balikatan", or "shoulder-to-shoulder", will be the largest yet in terms of participating countries, with Australia included again and Canada, France, New Zealand and Japan joining as active participants for the first time, highlighting Manila's widening network of security partnerships.

The exercises will involve practising precision strike and interdiction operations in coastal waters of the Philippines and will feature integrated air and missile defence exercises, multinational maritime operations, and counter landing, live fire drills.