Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, November 9) — The Philippines and United States yet again began joint drills with their respective marine corps on Thursday for the seventh annual exercises.
The Philippine Marine Corps (PMC) said Kaagapay ng mga Mandirigma mula sa Dagat or ‘KAMANDAG’ aims to “enhance bilateral cooperation and interoperability among participating forces in combined tactical operations.”
It said this year’s event will focus on special operations, coastal defense training, humanitarian assistance and disaster response.
“Although most of our events will be subject matter exchanges, we believe that these activities are very important as we continue to optimize our systems and procedures in warfighting,” said Brig. Gen. Jimmy Larida, director of the Exercise Directorate for the Philippine Navy.
“We believe that engaging in exercises with our partners will help us achieve our goals not only for a safer and more secure Philippines but for the South East Asian Region as a whole,” he added.
The PMC said Japan and South Korea will be joining as participants in select events for the first time, while the United Kingdom will be taking part as observer.
It said nearly 2,800 military personnel will join in this year’s activities, mostly from the Philippine and the US:
— 1,732 personnel from the Philippine Marine Corps, Marine Reservist, Naval Combat Engineering Brigade, Naval Special Operations Command, Philippine Airforce and Philippine Army
— 902 personnel from the US Marine Corps, 57 from Republic of Korea Marine Corps, 50 from Japan Ground Self-Defense Forces and eight from the UK Armed Forces
Officials from the participating nations shared their commitment to the exercise, as they highlighted the importance of maritime security.
“Not only are we strengthening the mutual defense treaty between the Philippines and the US, but we’re also exercising a multilateral force,” 1st Marine Expeditionary Forces Commander Maj. Gen. Bradford Gering said.
“This exercise contributes to regional stability and security fostering a more secure environment for all nationsm\” he added. \”Together we are committed to a free and open Indo Pacific upholding international law and norms and ensuring freedom of navigation in the region.\”
PMC Commandant Maj. Gen. Arturo Rojas highlighted the importance of working together to ensure peace and stability in the region.
“Together we will send a powerful message to the world, especially to those who may seek to disrupt the peace: that our partnership is unbreakable, our resolve unyielding, and our commitment to defending our nations is always unwavering,” he stressed.
The Philippine Navy noted the significance of the exercise for capacity building for its personnel.
“Let us all send a message to the world that we like-minded nations respect international law and rules-based international order come together, collaborate, cooperate and train to protect the common interest,” Philippine Navy Flag Officer in Command Vice Admiral Toribio Adaci Jr. said.
While the exercise comes at the heels of tension in the West Philippine Sea, Larida said KAMANDAG has nothing to do with the maritime row.
“Since it is not designed to provoke a certain country, it is not designed to prepare for a particular conflict, then we are not expecting any negative reaction to this exercise,\” he explained. \”This is purely to comply with our responsibility as a command to train our marines to prepare for any challenges.\”
Larida said KAMANDAG will focus on learning new concepts and sharing of subject matter expertise from the US, South Korea and Japan counterparts.
The military seeks to gain knowledge on disaster response and preparedness from the Japanese counterparts, while maintenance and operations of amphibious assault vehicle will be the center of its discussions with South Korea.
The Philippines also aims to learn from the US expertise on cybersecurity, following the back-to-back cyberattacks on government agencies and their use of cyber space for communication.
