General Provides Insight into the Joint Bilateral Exercise Balikatan '09

Exercise Balikatan ’09, a joint bilateral exercise between the United States and Philippines, is the 25th in the series as it relates to U.S.-Philippine participation. U.S. Marine Brig. Gen. Ronald Bailey, deputy commanding general, III Marine Expeditionary Force; commanding general of 3rd Marine Expeditionary Brigade and U.S. director of Balikatan ’09 told bloggers, April 21 about the three events that they will be participating in during the exercise, which ends on April 30. “Our first one is the humanitarian and civic assistance projects. The second is a scenario-based staff exercise that we’ll run from Manila with the joint force management headquarters, Philippines. And the final one involves field training activities in the Central Luzon and the Cavite province,” Bailey said. Balikatan is a term that means shoulder to shoulder. “The term ‘Balikatan’ is a Tagalog term which means ‘shoulder to shoulder,’ and for us it characterizes the philosophy and intent of the exercise,” he added.

Joining us on the call were Andrew Lubin and Jim Dolbow.