US and Filipino forces end drills that tested their endurance in brutal heat and volatile weather

By JIM GOMEZ
Associated Press

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — U.S. and Philippine generals say that hundreds of American and Filipino troops have concluded a newly introduced war exercise in the northern Philippines. The drills tested their combat endurance in more than a week of brutal heat and volatile weather. The exercise braced them to respond to any threat in tropical jungles and on scattered Asian islands. The June 1-10 combat drills ended Monday in a ceremony in the northern Philippines. The Biden administration has been strengthening an arc of military alliances in the Indo-Pacific to better counter China including in any possible confrontation over Taiwan and other flash points. The move has dovetailed with Philippine efforts to shore up its territorial defenses amid escalating disputes with Beijing in the South China Sea.