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Philippines, US kick off army drills ahead of Hegseth visit
Manila (AFP) Mar 24, 2025 The Philippine and US militaries kicked off joint exercises involving a combined 5,000 troops on Monday, Manila said, days before new US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth was set to visit the Southeast Asian country. The weeks-long operation, an opening salvo of the broader Balikatan exercises that will next month include the countries' navies and air forces, comes as tensions with China ove
Manila (AFP) Mar 24, 2025
The Philippine and US militaries kicked off joint exercises involving a combined 5,000 troops on Monday, Manila said, days before new US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth was set to visit the Southeast Asian country.
The weeks-long operation, an opening salvo of the broader Balikatan exercises that will next month include the countries' navies and air forces, comes as tensions with China ove
The Philippine and US militaries kicked off joint exercises involving a combined 5,000 troops on Monday, Manila said, days before new US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth was set to visit the Southeast Asian country.
The weeks-long operation, an opening salvo of the broader Balikatan exercises that will next month include the countries' navies and air forces, comes as tensions with China ove 
