Philippines, U.S. to start annual joint military exercises

U.S. soldiers march during the opening ceremony of the "Balikatan 2019" joint military exercise in Quezon City, the Philippines, April 1, 2019. The Philippines and the United States began on Monday their biggest annual joint military exercise known as Balikatan, or Shoulder-to-Shoulder. Exercise spokesman for the Philippines Lt. Cmdr. Liez Vidallon has said there are around 7,500 participating troops, consisting of some 4,000 Philippine troops and 3,500 U.S. troops, in this year's Balikatan drills. (Xinhua/Rouelle Umali)