Phl, US Marine forces to hold joint drills in Zambales

MANILA, Philippines - Philippine and United States Marine contingents are holding amphibious landing drills in Zambales starting Wednesday.

Dubbed as PHIBLEX (Amphibious Landing Exercises), the joint drills will be held in San Antonio town, which used to host a US monitoring and communication facility.

The USS Boxer, an amphibious landing US Navy warship with a contingent from the US Marines Forces Pacific, is taking part in the exercises.

Last July, Philippine and US naval forces also conducted joint exercises dubbed as Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT), with the Philippine Navy flagship Gregorio del Pilar and three US warships holding live fire exercises.

This year’s exercises will focus on theater security operations and maritime security, aimed at enhancing the competencies and interoperability of both forces in joint amphibious and arms operations.

Aside from the Marine contingents, Philippine Army troops will be joining the inland bilateral training exercises at Crow Valley in Capas, Tarlac.

Meanwhile, the Philippines and Malaysia yesterday capped joint military exercises designed to improve the interoperability of their armed forces.

Army spokesman Lt. Col. Randolph Cabangbang said the Training Activity Land Malaysia-Philippines (MALPHI) 14 “rekindled and reinvigorated” the friendly relations between the two countries. – With Alexis Romero

MALPHI 14, which opened last Sept. 5, was participated in by 70 Philippine Army and 40 Malaysian Army soldiers, who conducted command post and battle simulation exercises involving an invasion scenario.

“This year’s MALPHI adopted a conventional operational setting centered on the Malaysian forces coming in aid of the Philippine forces to defend the country’s territory from a national invading force,” Cabangbang said.

“The planners included operations on humanitarian assistance and disaster response aimed at extending assistance to civil authorities,” he added. – With Alexis Romero