600 US toops in Philippines for joint military training

[DuctapeFatwa]

Six hundred US troops arrived at the former American naval base at Subic Bay in the Philippines on Sunday to take part in joint military exercises, the Philippine military said.

The group is an advance party for the force of 2,500 US troops who will take part in the training exercises with some 2,300 Filipino soldiers until March 7, said Brigadier General Rafael Romero.

The troops belong to the 3rd Marine Expeditionary Force based in Okinawa, Japan. They arrived by ship and offloaded helicopters, all purpose vehicles and communications equipment.

http://www.spacewar.com/2004/040215025101.n1ybjysu.html

[MikeG]

1. Can you get a good joint in the Phillipines?

[soup]

2. Are these exercises routine or unusual?

Sorry for not knowing, but I have no idea what's going on here.

Just finished reading the article below, and decided to ask some questions. Didn't know if I'd find anything about it here at DU, but, sure enough, here it is. Thank you, DuctapeFatwa, for the opportunity to ask the questions. There's just so much going on in the world, it's hard to keep up with anything.


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>snip<
The exercises are intended to improve the combat readiness of the United States and the Philippines, two longtime military allies with a 1951 mutual defense treaty. Left-wing groups and Marxist guerrillas have denounced the maneuvers as an infringement on Philippine sovereignty.

A prominent leftist group, the New Militarist Alliance, said the U.S. government is using the exercises to project its power in Asia.

American and Philippine troops will stage a beach-landing exercise off mountainous Aurora province north of Manila, near strongholds of the communist New People's Army, which has been waging a 35-year Marxist rebellion and is on a U.S. list of terrorist groups.

The guerrillas suspect the exercises are a cover for a U.S.-backed counterinsurgency, spying or other operations and have warned that Americans would be attacked if they enter rebel zones.
http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGAB8JJSOQD.html

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Are these 'live-fire combat maneuvers' something to be concerned about? Are there ulterior motives here? What are the chances this is going to get ugly?

*sigh* Not even sure I'm asking the right questions. But when an article pops up that ends with-

A Marine spokesman, Capt. Burrel Parmer, dismissed the allegations.

"We're not here to engage in any type of operations against any type of forces or organizations in the Philippines," he told The Associated Press.

-it makes me skeptical, rather than comforted.