Manila May 7 (IANS) Troops from the Philippines and the US on Monday began a series of 12-day joint annual "Balikatan 2018" military drills.
Philippines Defence Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said the drills will focus on interoperability training to address domestic and non-domestic security concerns reports Xinhua news agency.
About 5 000 Philippines troops and 3 000 Americans are participating in this year s drills that will be conducted in several locations on Luzon island authorities said.
A statement issued by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said this year s exercises include "a fictional scenario which will improve the planner s ability to command and control forces from a headquarters level".
--IANS
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