U.S., Philippines and Allies Conclude Balikatan Drills With Japanese Combat Troops and U.S. Missile Tests

Philippines, Japan, France, Canada, Australia and New Zealand completed the 41st edition of the Balikatan military exercises on Friday after nearly three weeks on Luzon, the Philippines' largest island. U.S. and allied forces practiced repelling an amphibious assault.

Gen. U.S. Army Pacific, described the objective in an interview. "It's really about 'see, sense, strike and protect,'" he said. "We want to see the enemy first" to repel any attack on the Philippines.

The drills bordered on two of Asia's key flash points — Taiwan and the South China Sea. U.S.

Or its allies. China condemned the Balikatan drills as destabilizing for the region. In response, it sent its own naval task force to conduct live-fire drills east of Luzon. Lt. Gen. Aristotle Gonzalez, head of the Philippine Armed Forces' Northern Luzon Command, said the Philippine Army is transitioning from its usual focus on internal security.

As insurgent and terrorist groups have been weakened, he said, the Philippines is turning to protecting its borders. This year marks the first time that Japan sent combat troops to the Balikatan drills. Japanese troops fired an anti-ship missile for the first time in the Philippines at a decommissioned Philippine corvette during the exercises.

The last time Japanese combat troops set foot on Philippine soil was in 1941 when imperial army soldiers landed about 50 miles south in Vigan City, three days after attacking Pearl Harbor. Col. Sho Tomino, who commands a Japanese amphibious regiment, said his unit can participate because a Japan-Philippines agreement took effect last year allowing joint military training in each other's countries.