US Navy ship arrives in Zambo for exercises

ZAMBOANGA CITY — A United States navy destroyer arrived here Friday to participate in the joint military training exercises of Filipino and US soldiers, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Southern Command (Southcom) said.

The USS McCampbell arrived and dropped anchor in international waters just off the Zamboanga peninsula to participate in the PALAH 05-1, a bilateral naval warfare training exercise, the Southcom said in a statement.

USS McCampbell is a Spruance-class destroyer, a fast and versatile warship that has multi-mission offensive and defensive capabilities and can operate independently or as part of carrier battle groups, surface action groups, amphibious ready groups and underway replenishment groups.

Based on the US navy fact file, this type of destroyer primarily performs anti-submarine warfare duty. Guided missile destroyers are multi-mission anti-air warfare (AAW), anti-submarine warfare (ASW) and anti-surface warfare (ASUW) surface combatants.

The addition of the Mk-41 Vertical Launch System or Tomahawk armored box launchers (ABLs) to many Spruance-class destroyers has greatly expanded the role of these destroyer in strike warfare.

Commander Russell Haas commands the USS McCampbell, an Arliegh Burke Destroyer assigned to Commander Destroyer Squadron One. The ship’s home port is San Diego, California. It was built in Bath, Maine and commissioned in August 2002. The ship has a crew of 30 officers and 310 sailors.

The Southcom said the USS McCampbell will has medical evacuation capabilities, and can conduct evacuation by helicopter.

The PALAH 05-1 seeks to improve unit readiness and interoperability between US and AFP Seals in maritime special operations.

The training will also cover mission planning, patrolling, urban training and close quarters combat situations, as well as live fire, marksmanship and jungle survival exercises.

The Southcom said the joint exercises, which began on Aug. 5, will be conducted in multiple phases until the end of the year.

About 20 American and 40 Filipino soldiers are participating in the joint training exercises.