TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — As the annual Balikatan military exercises held by the Philippine Armed Forces and U.S. Pacific Command concluded on Friday (April 28), the Philippines and U.S. are already preparing for another series of joint military drills set to take place May 1 through May 12.
Next week, the two countries will revive the Cope Thunder Air Force exercises at Clark Air Base after over 30 years, according to a press release. The original Cope Thunder exercises, which provided regular flight training for U.S. pilots and those of allied nations, were first held in 1976 and continued annually in the Philippines until 1990.
In 1991, the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo and the end of a defense agreement between Manila and Washington led to American forces vacating Clark Air Base. From 1992, Cope Thunder exercises were held at Eielson Air Force Base in Alaska. In 2006, the annual drills were renamed Red-Flag Alaska.
The return of the Cope Thunder exercises to the Philippines comes just months after the U.S. and Manila signed the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA), which grants U.S. military forces expanded access to four new military bases in the Philippines. Analysts agree that these military bases will be instrumental if the need arises for the U.S. to respond to a military conflict in the Taiwan Strait.
Beijing lodged strong protests in both Manila and Washington over the EDCA agreement, and accused Manila of “stoking the fire” over the Taiwan issue during April’s Balikatan exercises, which included more than 16,000 U.S. and Philippine troops.
Cope Thunder will be smaller in scale, with about 160 U.S. Air Force personnel participating. According to a Philippine Air Force official quoted by The Star, the exercises will “prepare us for a ‘real-world’ scenario in air combat.”
At least 12 U.S. aircraft stationed at Misawa Air Base in Japan are expected to take part in the exercises, including F-16 fighters which will fly alongside FA-50 trainer jets of the Philippine Air Force. "Service members from the Armed Forces of the Philippines will exchange tactics, techniques and procedures while improving interoperability," said the press release.