(9 May 2014) More than 120 U.S. and Filipino marines staged an amphibious assault on a beach in a combat drill on Friday near a South China Sea shoal disputed by China and the Philippines.
It's part of two weeks of military exercises to prepare to jointly deal with any potential crisis in the Philippines, which is prone to natural disasters as well as being locked in a dangerous territorial standoff with China.
U.S. and Philippine military officials said that a total of 3,000 Filipino soldiers and 2,500 American military personnel would take part in the annual "Balikatan" or shoulder to shoulder, exercises, the largest of several military drills the allies stage each year.
The 120,000-strong Philippine military is among Asia's weakest.
The Philippines, a U.S. defence treaty partner, is relying on Washington to help modernise its aging naval fleet, which includes many World War II vessels, one of which is among the oldest active warships in the world.
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