Philippines, US launch live-fire drill with South China Sea in sight to show unity

The exercise for the M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) is meant for defensive scenarios including a possible conflict in the South China Sea that may threaten the sovereignty of the Philippines, analysts say.

During the drill at the Philippine military’s training facility in Laur, Central Luzon, Filipino soldiers prepared the HIMARs by loading the rockets themselves and assisted their American counterparts in the firing of three rockets that landed about 10 kilometres (6.2 miles) away.

Major Jason Burgess, the officer-in-charge of the US Army’s 1st Multi-Domain Task Force (1MDTF), said after the drill that the joint live firing underscored the strong partnership of both armies.

“We train together side by side. Fires and artillery are the future of a conflict. I think today is a great example of how we build those ties and become effective in synchronising should a crisis occur,” Burgess said.

“We look forward to further increasing the amount of training that we will do together,” he added.

The drill was part of Salaknib, an annual bilateral exercise led by the Philippine Army and the US Army Pacific.

Such exercises reflect the intent of the 1951 Mutual Defence Treaty that calls on both countries to help each other in times of aggression by an external power. In previous pronouncements, the Pentagon said it was prepared to assist Manila if the treaty was invoked amid threats from other nations.

The HIMARS platform, which entered into service in 2010, can be equipped with six 227mm (8.9 inches) guided missiles, two precision strike missiles or one MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile System.

Chester Cabalza, a security analyst and president of the Manila-based International Development and Security Cooperation, told