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Foreword

Australian and
U.S. Forces
Strengthening
Regional Security

Philippine and U.S. Forces Provide Disaster Relief for Typhoon Victims

International HIV/Aids Conference

Building Global Networks to Combat Security Threats

Exercise BALIKATAN
Enhancing Interoperability and Improving Lives
By Lt. Col. Mark Zimmer, USA;
JOC(SW/AW) Terry L. Rhedin, USN;
SSgt. Marcus McDonald, USAF;
and Sgt Vince, Oliver, USA
Lt. Col. Mark Zimmer, USA; JOC(SW/AW) Terry L. Rhedin, USN; SSgt. Marcus McDonald, USAF; and Sgt. Vince Oliver, USA, were assigned to Exercise BALIKATAN Combined Information Bureau Public Affairs.

When U.S. forces . . . joined the AFP rescue operations in the wake of the typhoons that struck Northern Luzon, the combined effort was fast, effective, and efficient. To be sure, we were able to prevent a greater loss of life because of the interoperability of our forces.

Avelino J. Cruz, Jr.
Philippine Secretary of National Defense

Exercise BALIKATAN is an annual Philippine-U.S. military exercise that improves combined planning and interoperability to enhance military capabilities. BALIKATAN is one of many ongoing activities under the framework of Republic of the Philippines-U.S. military security cooperation.

Approximately 550 Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) personnel and 300 U.S. Army, Navy, and Air Force personnel participated in BALIKATAN 2005, the 21st in the series of these exercises. The February 2005 exercise focused on improving readiness to respond to natural disasters through cooperation in humanitarian and civic action projects. This focus was in light of relief efforts following typhoons that struck the Philippines in November 2004 and the devastating 26 December 2004 tsunami that struck Indian Ocean countries.

AFP-U.S. forces’ Medical Civic Action Projects (MEDCAPs) included distributing medical supplies, treating patients, and checking animal health in the typhoon-affected provinces of Quezon and Laguna in Northern Luzon. Under Engineering Civic Action Projects (ENCAPs), AFP and U.S. military engineers constructed a 1.2-kilometer farm-to-market road connecting the towns of Alima and San Buenaventura. They also built five classrooms for the San Buenaventura High School. The local government and volunteers donated funding and materials for the construction.

Addressing participants at the opening ceremony for BALIKATAN 2005 at AFP headquarters in Camp Aguinaldo, Manila, Philippine Secretary of National Defense Avelino J. Cruz, Jr., noted, “while BALIKATAN is aimed at improving [Philippine-U.S.] combined planning, readiness, and interoperability in . . . sea, air and ground operations . . . improved interoperability also saves lives and property from the onslaught of calamity and devastation. When U.S. forces . . . joined the AFP rescue operations in the wake of the typhoons that struck Northern Luzon, the combined effort was fast, effective, and efficient. To be sure, we were able to prevent a greater loss of life because of the interoperability of our forces.”

Secretary Cruz added, “. . . it is important for all BALIKATAN exercise participants to keep in mind that our combined exercises do not only enhance our capability to meet threats to peace and security; they also provide opportunities for building closer ties between our two peoples. The same spirit that moves us when we stand shoulder to shoulder in the face of a common threat should impel us to build stronger bonds among our people through the medical and engineering civic action projects that we will undertake during the course of the BALIKATAN exercises.”

Also addressing participants, U.S. Deputy Chief of Mission Joseph Mussomeli said, “In BALIKATAN we will train together, learn together, we would work side by side, and because of this work and training, all our forces, Filipino and American, will be . . . more capable. I urge the participants of Exercise BALIKATAN 2005 to work together building roads and schools, easing the suffering of people with your medical skills, and learning from each other how to be the best military men and women in the world.”

Dignitaries attending the opening ceremony included Ariel Abadilla, Philippine Assistant Foreign Affairs Secretary; General Efren Abu, then AFP Chief of Staff; Maj. Gen. Romeo Alamillo, AFP Exercise Co-Director and AFP Deputy Chief of Staff for Plans and Programs; and Maj. Gen. Stephen Tom, Deputy Commander of the U.S. Army, Pacific, and Exercise Co-Director.

BALIKATAN Operations Section
Before sunrise to well after sunset, the BALIKATAN 2005 operations section participants in Laguna province used three words to ensure a successful exercise – plan, coordinate, execute. “Our operations section in close cooperation with the Armed Forces of the Philippines plans and coordinates all movement outside the compound to include daily movement to and from sites . . . ,” said U.S. Army Reserve Capt. Marc Chung. “We also execute all tasks necessary to ensure engineering projects . . . are completed on time.”

Other tasks involved tracking results, projecting updates, and interacting with other exercise sections. “It’s our job to monitor the success or shortcomings of the ENCAPs and MEDCAPs, provide updates to the entire force on project status, and coordinate with contractors, and the contracting office for all materials and services provided to keep the mission intact,” explained Capt. Chung. “There really could be no better task that we could be involved in – building schools for children and having doctors treat thousands of patients. I couldn’t be prouder to work alongside . . . AFP personnel as a part of this mission”