Filipino and American soldiers will conduct military exercises starting July 6 to enhance mutual defense between the Philippines and the United States, strengthen relationships, and rehearse emerging aviation concepts.
In a statement, the US Embassy in Manila said the service members of both countries will conduct a range of interoperability training events, which are consistent with the Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT) and Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) between the Philippines and the US.
Scheduled activities include live fire events; bilateral air assaults and airfield seizures; joint forward arming and refueling, and other aviation support operations.
The program, which is being held semi-annually, is called Marine Aviation Support Activity (MASA) 23, which will run until July 21.
Brig. Gen. Robert Brodie, Commander of I Marine Expeditionary Force, said MASA 23 “facilitates the collaborative development of aviation, ground and logistics related capabilities.” “This exercise serves as a testament to the enduring partnership between the Philippines and the US, strengthening our ties and enhancing capabilities between our nations,” he added.
Both countries’ troops will also partner for a wide subject matter expertise exchanges.
Part of the joint military exercises will see both sides cooperating to sink a decommissioned Philippine Navy replenishment tanker off the waters of Zambales.
Philippine Marine Corps (PMC) spokesperson Captain. Jarald Rea, in an interview with reporters on Wednesday, said this activity is known in military circles as a “maritime strike” and will take place in San Antonio, Zambales on July 13.
He identified the decommissioned Navy ship as the ex-BRP Lake Caliraya.
This tanker was earlier donated by the then Philippine National Oil Corporation to the Philippine Navy sometime in 2014 and decommissioned in 2020.
Rea said the scenario for this maritime strike exercise is focused on “coastal defense” and aimed at disrupting invading or hostile landing or “counter-landing” in military parlance.
This is the second time that PH and US forces will be conducting a ship sinking exercise this year, with the first one taking place last April 26.
During the first drill, the decommissioned World War II BRP Pangasinan (PS-31) was sunk during the combined joint littoral live-fire exercise during the “Balikatan” exercises.
Around 1,257 personnel, with 115 reservists, from the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) will be participating while another 1,444 will be coming from the US side, he added. With Vince Lopez