MANILA, Feb 23 Kyodo The Philippi...

MANILA, Feb 23 Kyodo

The Philippines and the United States began a recent round of joint military exercises in succession Monday at the Armed Forces of the Philippines' (AFP) headquarters in Manila.

A rite at Camp Aguinaldo marked the start of interoperability exercises involving 2300 Philippine numbers and 2,500 U.S. forces, chiefly from the 3rd Marine Expeditionary Force stationed in Okinawa, Japan.

The drills will last until March 7 in the provinces of Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, Tarlac and Cavite -- sites where the annual exercises are traditionally held -- plus Palawan Province in the western Philippines and Batanes Island in the northernmost tip of the country

AFP Chief of Staff Gen Narciso Abaya said the focus of the exercises, like that of 19 other drills held before this circular will be on defending the brace countries against conventional threats.

''Warfare is evolving,'' Abaya said.

''(We) have to adjust also to the kind of threat that will be a threat to the two the security of the Philippines and the United States, whatever that is,'' he said.

Joseph Mussomeli, charge d'affaires of the U Embassy in Manila, said in the show that the exercises demonstrate a maturing of the relationship between the sum of two units countries.

''Our relationship is now among equal partners and in greater balance, a fraternal rather than a paternal model'' Mussomeli said. ''This is principally evident, I think, in the military dimension of our relationship.''

The Philippine Senate refused to recommence a bases agreement with the U in 1991 paving the way for the dismantling of brace U.S. bases on the main island of Luzon

The 1999 Visiting Forces Agreement between the pair countries lays down dominions for participants in joint military exercises allowed subordinate to the Philippine-U.S. Mutual Defense Treaty of 1951

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