Push Admin

Members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the United States Marine Corps conduct a live-fire exercise against an imaginary enemy target facing the West Philippine Sea at the Laoag Sand Dunes in  Ilocos Norte on May 6, 2024. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News

Article (news)

Laoag

Bianca Dava

ABS-CBN News

<div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:950px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1714980436800viber_image_2024-05-06_14-26-00-281.jpg" style="width:950px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="Members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the United States Marine Corps conduct a live-fire exercise against an imaginary enemy target facing the West Philippine Sea at the Laoag Sand Dunes in  Ilocos Norte on May 6, 2024. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left"><span contenteditable="true" id="isPasted">Members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the United States Marine Corps conduct a live-fire exercise against an imaginary enemy target facing the West Philippine Sea at the Laoag Sand Dunes in  Ilocos Norte on May 6, 2024.<em> Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News</em></span></span></span></span></div><p>MANILA — Filipino and American troops on Monday used several high-powered weapon systems in a counter landing live fire exercise conducted at the La Paz Sand Dunes in Laoag City, Ilocos Norte as part of the annual Balikatan.<a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/4/17/training-exercises-help-afp-prepare-for-war-balikatan-executive-agent-1728"></a></p><div><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/4/17/training-exercises-help-afp-prepare-for-war-balikatan-executive-agent-1728">READ: Training exercises help AFP ‘prepare for war’ - Balikatan executive agent</a></div><p>Around 200 personnel of the Philippine Army, Philippine Marine Corps, United States Army and US Marine Corps simulated their foiling of an invasion attempt by a foreign country on the shores of Laoag City.</p><p>The conduct of the drills in the Philippines’ northern waters in relatively close proximity to Taiwan has not sat well with China, which has deemed the activities as provocations.<a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/4/20/-war-is-not-on-the-table-ph-gears-up-for-balikatan-exercises-1713"></a></p><div><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/4/20/-war-is-not-on-the-table-ph-gears-up-for-balikatan-exercises-1713">‘War is not on the table’: PH gears up for Balikatan exercises</a></div><p>Taiwan is a self-ruled island regarded by China as a renegade province subject to reunification.</p><p>But US I Marine Expeditionary Force commanding general Lt. Gen. Michael Cederholm said the exercises are meant to improve how Philippine and US forces operate alongside each other, and were not directed against a specific adversary.</p><p>“We don’t do this for messaging. We do this to create interoperability, readiness and integration of capabilities of command and control, sense the battlespace, deploy fires, all those things. So, there’s no significance to this location… The location was just perfect for the interoperability and sensing we wanted to test, and the sea control and securing and defending of key maritime terrain we wanted to do,” Cederholm told reporters in Ilocos Norte.</p><div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:498px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1714980714119viber_image_2024-05-06_14-25-59-469.jpg" style="width:950px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left"><span contenteditable="true" id="isPasted"><span style="color:rgb(65, 65, 65);letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:left;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;white-space:normal;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial;float:none;display:inline !important"><em>Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News</em></span></span></span></span></span>“I would like to thank the support of the local government — our governor here in Ilocos Norte — for the support for the exercise that we have. The exercise is already an assurance that we improve the capability of our AFP so we can better serve the people and better protect the people. Without the training, expertise and specialization that we gain in the training, we cannot perform effectively or efficiently,” Balikatan 2024 Exercise Director Maj. Gen. Marvin Licudine, for his part, said.</div><p>Philippine and US forces took turns defending the shores. American troops fired howitzers and machine guns, and launched Javelin missiles to keep enemy forces from establishing themselves in the country’s territory.</p><p>Filipino troops then followed up by firing 155mm and 105mm howitzers.</p><p>In the end, the two forces were able to sink the five floating targets, represented amphibious assault vehicles.</p><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:498px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1714980760642viber_image_2024-05-06_14-25-56-811.jpg" style="width:950px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left"><span contenteditable="true" id="isPasted"><span style="color:rgb(65, 65, 65);letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:left;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;white-space:normal;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial;float:none;display:inline !important"><em>Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News</em></span></span></span></span></span></div><p>“What you saw out there today is to deter amphibious landing. Balikatan is focused on everything: from key maritime terrain, both the taking and the defense of that, to maritime strikes and to conducting sea control,” Cederholm said.</p><p>“Completely satisfied. We have continued future opportunities to grow and improve our readiness and interoperability,” he added.</p><p>Cederholm noted that the exercise was “to prepare for the worst” by “securing key maritime terrain.”</p><p>“It’s designed to repel an invasion,” he said. “Balikatan centers around besides those traits I talked about—transparency, respect to sovereignty, seeking peaceful resolution—being prepared for the worst.”</p><div><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/5/5/balikatan-in-batanes-1450">LOOK: Balikatan in Batanes</a></div><p>“We’re always ready, and we train every day to be ready. That’s our mantra. I know that as the AFP transitions into a modernized… they’re ready to go every day. We just get stronger through integration and training. So, a short answer to your question: Are we ready? Yes, ma’am,” he continued.</p><p>The Balikatan will culminate with a maritime strike on Wednesday, in which the combined forces of the Philippines and the US will sink decommissioned Philippine Navy ship BRP Caliraya in the West Philippine Sea.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO</strong></div><div style="text-align:center"><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/s3ekOmBoLEM?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span>Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" id="isPasted" style="color:rgb(60, 151, 255)" target="_blank">iWantTFC.com</a>. Watch hundreds of Pinoy shows, movies, live sports and news.</div>

<p>Around 200 US and PH soldiers simulated their foiling of an invasion attempt of a foreign country in the shores of Laoag City.</p>

Around 200 US and PH soldiers simulated their foiling of an invasion attempt of a foreign country in the shores of Laoag City.

PH, US forces repel mock foreign invasion in Balikatan drills

News

Entertainment

Lifestyle

Sports

Metro.Style

More

Traffic

Manila

Horoscope

News

PH, US forces repel mock foreign invasion in Balikatan drills

Bianca Dava,

ABS-CBN News

Published May 06, 2024 03:54 PM PHT

|

Updated Jun 11, 2024 03:15 PM PHT

Read More:

Philippines

United States

Balikatan

invasion

counter landing

US

Laoag City

Ilocos Norte

ABS-CBN is the leading media and entertainment company in the Philippines, offering quality content across TV, radio, digital, and film. Committed to public service and promoting Filipino values, ABS-CBN continues to inspire and connect audiences worldwide.

Corporate

Investors

Governance

International Distribution

Corporate

Governance

Investors

International Distribution

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

AI Policy

Terms of Service

Advertise with Us

© 2025 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

AI Policy

Advertise with Us

© 2025 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

AI Policy

Advertise with Us

© 2025 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.