対戦車ミサイル「ジャベリン」　米比両軍、演習で発射

【パラヤン（フィリピン） ＡＦＰ＝時事】フィリピンで過去最大の合同軍事演習を実施している米国、フィリピン両軍は１３日、敵と想定した自動車に対戦車ミサイル「ジャベリン」を撃ち込んで破壊する実戦さながらの訓練を行った。（写真は軍事演習で対戦車ミサイル「ジャベリン」を発射する米海兵隊）
　比北部の軍事基地で兵士３人が約６００メートル離れた場所から３台の自動車にジャベリンを発射して破壊した。
　「バリカタン」と名付けられた演習に先立ち、中国は１０日まで３日間にわたり、自国の一部と見なす台湾への空爆や封鎖をシミュレートした軍事演習を行った。
　チャールズ・フリン米太平洋陸軍司令官は「（米比軍の演習は）自由で開かれたインド太平洋を維持するための集団的な関与」を示すものだと述べた。
　比陸軍司令官のロメオ・ブラウナー中将は、ジャベリンがウクライナでロシア戦車に対し「有効だった」と称賛。将来的にジャベリンを導入する方針を明らかにした。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2023/04/14-18:42）

US and Philippine troops held anti-tank missile exercises on Thursday, as the allies stepped up their largest war games, which have already drawn China's ire.
Under a plume of black smoke, three cars parked on scrubland were crushed by missiles fired from about 600 metres (0.37 miles) away by three soldiers at a military base in the north of the Philippines.
The annual Balikatan manoeuvres follow a three-day Chinese military exercise that simulated targeted strikes and a blockade of self-ruled, democratic Taiwan, which Beijing considers part of its territory.
As you're recently witnessing, there are some irresponsible behaviours that are ongoing and we should call those irresponsible behaviours out, US Army Pacific Commander General Charles Flynn told reporters at the site, without elaborating further.
Flynn added that the war games were an important show of collective commitment to maintain a free and open Indo-Pacific.
Philippine Army chief Lieutenant-General Romeo Brawner praised the effectivity of Javelins against Russian tank and armour in the Ukraine war, adding Manila plans to acquire the weapon in the future.
We want to also bring that capability to the Philippine Army in order for us to be able to bolster our defensive posture and be able to defend our territory, Brawner added.
The two allies also plan to hold new exercises in the South China Sea later in the year that will include other countries, US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin announced in Washington on Tuesday, after a meeting with the Philippine defence and foreign secretaries and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
The exercise aims to boost Manila's military capability while serving as a US show of support for its Asian ally amid China's growing assertiveness.
Nearly 18,000 troops are taking part in the annual exercises, which for the first time will include the sinking by live fire of a decommissioned Philippine navy warship in the South China Sea, waters that Beijing claims almost entirely.
It follows a deal announced last week for US forces to use an increased number of bases in the Philippines, including one near Taiwan.
The exercises and growing US access to Philippine bases have angered China.
Facts speak louder than words. Judging from the locations of the new military bases, the intention behind those sites is more than obvious, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told reporters in Beijing on Wednesday.
He warned: We would like to once again remind the relevant country in the region that pandering to forces outside the region will not bring greater security, but will cause tensions, put regional peace and stability at risk, and eventually backfire.
Balikatan will include military helicopters landing on a Philippine island off the northern tip of the main island of Luzon, nearly 300 kilometres (180 miles) from Taiwan, and the retaking of another island by amphibious forces.
It will be the first time the exercises have been held under President Ferdinand Marcos, who plans to watch the ship sinking on April 26.
He has sought to strengthen ties with the United States after his predecessor Rodrigo Duterte weakened the alliance.