U.S., Philippines Repel Mock Air Attack in Annual War Games

TaiwanPlus News

For the first time, the U.S. has deployed a marine air defense integrated system to target airborne drones on the Philippines' west coast. The exercise is part of the annual war games Balikatan, and comes as China continues to push its territorial claims in the region.

Transcript

00:00Here on the west coast of the Philippines, facing the South China Sea, the Philippines

00:04military and their U.S. counterparts are practicing repelling a mock air attack. It's part of

00:09Balikatan 2025, massive joint U.S.-Philippine war games. And for the first time, they're

00:15using a Marine Air Defense Integrated System, or the MADIS, brought in from the U.S. It's

00:20designed to strike down hostile enemy drones.

00:28Extremely important that we learn from each other, that we are able to discuss coastal

00:34defense strategies, that we as the United States Marines are able to bring our weapon systems

00:40here to the Philippines to aid in that coastal defense concept.

00:45These drills are taking place in an incredibly strategic location, the Zambales coast. China

00:50has been increasingly sending its military and Coast Guard boats into this area, asserting

00:55territorial claims in an area the Philippines says belongs to it. These drills have been

01:01taking place more than 40 times, but by bringing new technology to this sensitive area, the Philippines,

01:06alongside its ally the U.S., is sending a clear message that it's serious about facing up to

01:12evolving threats. Fuha Hong, David Santosh and Rick Lawert in Zambales, the Philippines for

01:18Taiwan Plus.

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