San Marcelino, Philippines, Philippines - Philippine Seabees from the 3rd Naval Construction Battalion and Marines from the 9th Engineer Support Battalion place a 4-inch concrete pad over an existing pad to raise the foundation above the waterline to prevent future flooding at the Rabanes Elementary School. This engineering civic action project (ENCAP)is one of eight being performed by Combined/Joint Civil Military Operations Task Force (CJCMOTF) units in support of exercise Balikatan 2013. Balikatan 2013 (BK13) is an annual Philippine-U.S. bilateral exercise. Humanitarian assistance and training activities enable the Philippine and American service members to build lasting relationships, train together and provide assistance in communities where the need is the greatest.
Top officials from the United States and Philippines a joint military exercise which involves 8,000 troops from both countries and dozens of military assets, including a squadron of F/A-18 Hornet fighter jets.
Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief Gen. Emmanuel Bautista declared the opening of the nine-day military exercise dubbed as "Balikatan 2013" at the AFP headquarters in Metro Manila, the country's capital region.
"Balikatan is a clear affirmation of a shared commitment between the Philippines and US armed forces to move shoulder to shoulder for stability, security and development," said Bautista.
Brig. Gen. Richard Simcock, deputy commander of the US Marine Corps Forces in the Pacific, said the annual military exercise is meant to improve "military operations and to advance regional security operations."
"As you know, 'balikatan' means shoulder to shoulder. American forces will be shoulder to shoulder and will work alongside with the dedicated men and women of the AFP to train and improve our skills and readiness," said Simcock.
This year's Balikatan exercise will give emphasis to humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, on top of actual military training. Crow Valley, Camp O' Donnell, Subic Bay, and Fort Magsaysay in northern Philippines will serve as venues for the exercise.
The joint military exercise will also feature a roundtable discussion focusing on disaster response. Countries in the Asia- Pacific including Australia, Cambodia, China, South Korea, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, and Thailand have been invited to join the roundtable discussion with the Philippines and the United States.
AFP officials said this year's Balikatan exercise marks another milestone in the long-standing relations between the Philippines and the United States. The exercise is the biggest among the military training activities between the two countries and is based on the Philippines-US Mutual Defense Treaty of 1951
