[Defense](/Politics/Defense)
Exercises to focus on territorial defense, large-scale deployment of forces
U.S. soldiers alight from a a CH-47 helicopter carrying American and Philippine troops as it lands in Itbayat, Philippines, during a joint military exercise on May 6, 2024. © AP
MANILA (Reuters) -- Soldiers from the Philippine and the U.S. armies began three weeks of joint military exercises on Monday, with drills focused on territorial defense and commanding large-scale deployments of forces, the Philippine Army said.
Around 5,000 soldiers from the Philippine Army and the U.S. Army Pacific will take part in warfighting and exchange of expertise in the first phase of this year's Exercise Salaknib. A second phase is scheduled for later this year.