Philippines, US kick off army drills ahead of Hegseth visit

Manila, Philippines—The Philippine and US militaries kicked off joint exercises involving a combined 5,000 troops on Monday, Manila said, days before new US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth was set to visit the Southeast Asian country. The weeks-long operation, an opening salvo of the broader Balikatan exercises that will next month include the countries' navies and air forces, comes as tensions with China over the disputed South China Sea are at a high. – Advertisement – The two armies will focus "on enhancing combined/joint all-domain operations, reinforcing warfighting capabilities, and showcasing a strong bilateral commitment to safeguarding the Philippines' territorial…