Local troops
might go to
Philippines

By Gregg K. Kakesako
Star-Bulletin

Soldiers from Schofield Barracks' 25th Infantry Division next year may be part of the first military exercise in nearly a decade involving Filipino troops.

Earlier this week in Manila, Defense Secretary William Cohen announced the return of U.S. troops after a seven-year hiatus. The last contingent of Marines sailed from Subic Bay on Nov. 14, 1992, after the Philippine Senate a year earlier refused to renew a 10-year lease on the base.

One of the last times the division's Tropic Lightning soldiers were in the Philippines was in 1992 for an exercise known as Balikatan, or "shouldering the load together" in Tagalog.

The upcoming exercise will be the 15th in a series started in 1981.

Joining the 25th Division soldiers in 1992 were Army reservists from the 108th Training Exercise and Maneuver Group, which was deactivated two years ago, according to Army Reserve spokesman Howard Sugai.

Besides serving as evaluators during the exercise, Army reservists also helped develop the training scenario for Balikatan, which evolved around a military mission to defend the Pacific Basin country, Sugai said.

John Fairbank, Army spokesman, said the main objective of Balikatan next year will be to enhance the capabilities of both U.S. and Filipino armies to respond to "mutual defense efforts and civil-military operations."

The United States also will provide medical and dental services to civilians during the exercise.

Cohen was in the Philippines as part of a Southeast Asia tour that included a stop in Indonesia.

The Philippines once was a commonwealth of the United States until it won its independence in 1946. In 1951, the two countries signed a Mutual Defense Treaty and the U.S. maintained military bases there until 1992.

In 1991, the Philippine Senate refused to renew the 1947 Military Bases Agreement and the Navy left Subic Bay. Although there were a few sporadic visits by U.S. ships, these also were discontinued by 1996 when the Philippines government canceled an agreement that protected U.S. military forces from prosecution.