RP, US Navy forces hold amphibious exercises

CEBU, Philippines – Navy forces from the Philippines and United States of America yesterday held joint amphibious exercises off the seas of barangay Nangka in Balamban town as part of the Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training or CARAT.

CARAT is an annual exercise between the Philippines and US military forces to enhance bilateral interoperability.

No less than Balamban Mayor Alex Binghay and other officials of the town witnessed the exercises.

Commodore Honorio Robert Balanon Sr., the exercise director, explained an amphibious operation is a military operation launched from the sea by Naval and landing forces embarked in ships or crafts with the primary purpose of introducing a landing force ashore to accomplish an assigned mission.

Balanon said Fleet-Marine forces are specifically organized, trained, and equipped to deploy aboard, operate from, and sustain themselves from amphibious ships. As such, they are designed to project land combat powers ashore from the sea.

Balanon explained further that the Fleet-Marine operations are a combination of unique war fighting principles of the fleet and Marine Corps to produce a “single potent force capability” of the two participating military forces.

Yesterday's bilateral training exercise was participated by two platoons from the 8th Marine Battalion, Philippine Marine Corps, US Marines from the 1st Battalion, 24th Marines, Selfridge, MI and 3d Amphibious Assault Battalion, Camp Pendleton, CA.

Navy officials said the landing is a unique opportunity where the Philippines and US Marines enhance their bilateral training by conducting a joint-raid exercise at the culmination of the amphibious landing.

In yesterday's scenario, the military forces faced 30 members of an “extremist group” tasked by their commander to conduct terrorist activities in the area of responsibility of the Naval Forces Central in order to divert the focus of operation conducted by the Armed Forces of the Philippines in Southern Mindanao.

The exercise ended with the “extremist group” neutralized and preempted because of the amphibious assault on them by the combined forces of the Philippine and US Navy. – Jose P. Sollano/JMO (THE FREEMAN)