This year’s just-completed Exercise Balikatan in the Philippines ranks as potentially pivotal for Hawaii-based troops with the inclusion of a newly activated Marine Corps unit and simmering regional tensions as the U.S. and China compete for influence in the Pacific.

In the largest-yet iteration of the annual exercise, some 5,000 U.S. troops and 3,800 members of the Philippine military, along with about 40 Australian troops, trained on the islands of Luzon and Palawan in amphibious, urban and aviation operations as well as counterterrorism, maritime security and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.

The Philippines is a key ally of the United States. In 1951 the two countries signed a mutual defense treaty requiring the U.S. to support the Philippines if it’s ever attacked.

Hawaii plays an important role in the alliance. The Hawaii National Guard works regularly with the Philippine Armed Forces through the State Partnership Program, which pairs foreign militaries with specific state National Guards.

The Schofield Barracks-based 25th Infantry Division, which sent a brigade to participate in the Balikatan exercise, also conducts regular exchanges with the Philippines through the U.S. Army’s Pacific Pathways program.

For the 3rd Marine Littoral Regiment, which the service officially activated at Marine Corps Base Hawaii in March, Balikatan 2022 was an inaugural overseas training deployment. The unit, which is ultimately set to serve as the blueprint for a major reorganization of the Marine Corps as a whole, is intended to focus on coastal and island operations.

“The main focus for the MLR is how we plug into a naval campaign in dispersing Marines across islands,” said Capt. David Kerkhoff, assistant logistics officer with 3rd MLR. “Our main thing is trying to learn how to share targeting data with the Navy and joint partners … and then actually bring in firepower to defend sovereign territory of our allies, with our allies, and then support a joint force campaign in keeping sea lanes open.”

The Philippines borders the South China Sea, a critical waterway through which more than one-third of all international trade travels. In recent years the Philippines and other nearby countries have been engaged in a series of territorial disputes with China, which claims almost the entire region as its exclusive territory.

“No nation has ever claimed, nor has any other state ever recognized, such an expansive claim to an entire sea region spanning thousands of miles,” said Jay Batongbacal, director of the University of the Philippines Institute for Maritime Affairs and Law.

Territorial disputes

In the aftermath of Sept. 11, 2001, the U.S. and Philippine militaries have cooperated closely, tracking Islamist insurgents and terrorist groups operating on Min­da­nao and other islands. In 2017 Philippine and U.S. special forces fought a bloody battle against Islamic State militants after they seized the city of Marawi.

Earlier this month, as Balikatan was winding down, U.S. Rep. Ed Case, D- Hawaii, visited the Philippines as part of a Pacific tour. He and fellow lawmakers met with Philippine military commanders and visited Mindanao.

Case maintains that the threat of terrorism has declined substantially. In 2014 the central government signed a peace agreement with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front that has largely held.

“What they really need from us at this point is maritime security, and I think we’re willing to provide that,” said Case.

The Philippines and China have been locked in bitter disputes around the Spratley Islands, Scarborough Shoal and other territories both countries claim as their own.

Chinese fishing vessels have staked out disputed territories — occasionally clashing with and displacing Filipino fishermen — while the Chinese military has placed forces on disputed land formations and even built artificial islands to assert its claims.

“The establishment of Chinese military bases on the artificial islands have given those fleets safe havens to enable their distant- water fishing operations to continue throughout the year,” said Batongbacal.

“Their continuous presence in the key reef areas scare away or prevent Philippine fishers from operating even on a seasonal basis. China Coast Guard vessels shadow and intimidate Philippine vessels, especially those used for petroleum exploration. Food security and energy security are the first to be imperilled, even if the Chinese activities are still relatively far from the main islands of the archipelago.”

The new Marine littoral regiment is being tailored to operate in just such an environment. Kerkhoff said training in the Western Pacific is critical to understanding how Marines may be called to operate in the future, and building the relationships they need to do it.

“Most of the people that live and thrive within that area live close to a coastline,” said Kerkhoff. “Just physically being there and getting off the ground and seeing what it’s like to live and work there is directly in support of that future goal.”

Chinese ties continue

The MLR is expected to operate in relatively small groups spread out across islands and ocean. A key part of making that work is coordinating with regional countries like the Philippines.

Sgt. Kentromil Villarcampo, transmissions supervisor with the MLR’s communications company, said at Balikatan 2022 that “the biggest lesson learned on my end was learning to operate in their environment.” The Philippine military has “different gear than we do, so it was very important to learn how to communicate with them in the battle space.”

During the Balikatan exercise the MLR teamed up with Philippine troops to practice joint amphibious landings on Northern Luzon and coastal defense training.

“Us knowing how they work and them also knowing how we work, it helps try to identify those specific ways when crisis arises how we can best assist them and they can assist us in making sure that the mission is accomplished and that we make sure that everyone gets what they need to done,” Kerkhoff said.

In 2016 a United Nations- backed international court ruled in favor of the Philippines, declaring Beijing’s claims have “no basis under international law.”

But Chinese President Xi Jinpeng continues to insist the South China Sea inherently belongs to the Chinese people. In 2018, Xi told then-U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, “We cannot lose even one inch of the territory left behind by our ancestors,” according to Chinese state media.

“The historical narrative being propounded by China is an exaggerated and false narrative,” Batongbacal said. Further, “to say that the South China Sea has always been a Chinese maritime territory for more than 2,000 years is pure fantasy and denies the existence and history of all other Southeast Asian nations that have also always used that sea and its resources.”

The Philippines’ controversial President Rodrigo Duterte spent much of his early days in power criticizing the U.S. and pursuing closer ties to China. He threatened to ditch the Visiting Forces Agreement between Washington and Manila, which allows joint military operations and training, in favor of teaming up with the Chinese military instead.

But as Chinese harassment of Filipino fishermen and mariners escalated in 2020, a backlash against Beijing brewed in the Philippines. In 2021, Duterte renewed the VFA. However, Batongbacal is skeptical that Duterte’s views have truly changed.

“He continues to look up to China as his preferred ally and benefactor,” said Batongbacal. “Lately, he has made public statements to appease rising discontent and blunt criticism, making it appear that he is echoing public sentiment, but he does this only for public consumption.”

Last week Duterte ordered several Philippine oil and gas companies to cease operations at sea as he negotiates a joint oil and gas project with the Chinese government.

“When push comes to shove … he quickly goes back to his accommodation and appeasement of China,” said Batongbacal.

As Duterte’s presidency nears its end, his likely successor is Ferdinand Marcos Jr., son of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos, who died in exile in Honolulu in 1989 after his overthrow.

Marcos Jr. has said he would continue many Du­terte policies and pursue closer China ties. He has touted his friendship with Chinese officials, argued he can better negotiate with Beijing and suggested he would be willing to set aside the 2016 court ruling to pursue a new agreement with China.

Even so, Case said that his talks with Philippine officials during his latest visit led him to believe that Manila is likely to want to maintain strong ties to the United States.

“Nobody knows what the next president (of the Philippines) is going to do and not do,” said Case. “I think the general sentiment is that under a Marcos presidency you may see possibly some occasional sharp words for the United States, but it’s not going to be institutional or a government­wide approach.”