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The United States military on Thursday (Friday in Manila) said it has canceled joint war games with the Philippine military after a dispute with Philippine authorities over custody of a US serviceman convicted of raping a Filipina. A report on the New York Times said Admiral William J. Fallon, commander of US forces in the Pacific, said he also will halt aid and reconstruction programs carried out by the American military in the Philippines until he is confident the troops’ legal rights will be protected under the Visiting Forces Agreement. Under the VFA, US authorities would retain custody of American...

It's final: Balikatan war games to be held in Sulu Inquirer News Service Modified version ZAMBOANGA CITY -- The new Armed Forces Chief of Staff Gen. Narciso Abaya has confirmed that the controversial Balikatan 03-1 joint military exercise with the United States is to be held in Sulu after all. But defense and military officials have apparently left open-ended the issue of whether or not US forces would be deployed in those parts of the province that are deemed as "too hostile." "The presence of US forces in hostile areas may be minimized or they may not be deployed in...

Balikatan, which means "shoulder-to-shoulder" is a joint military exercise between Philippine and U.S. forces. It was launched last February with the goal of enhancing the capability of both Philippine and U.S. forces in counterterrorism. Its four specific objectives are: 1) to improve the interoperability of Philippine and U.S. forces against terrorism; 2) to enhance the combat capability of our Southern Command, or Southcom, infantry battalions based in Mindanao; 3) to ensure quality in intelligence processing; and, 4) to upgrade Philippine-U.S. capability to wage effective civil, military, and psychological operations. The exercise is within the parameters of our Constitution. It is...