Philippines, US Marines to hold military exercises

MANILA, Philippines - The joint military drill, held yearly under the Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT) between the Philippine and the US, will run from Sept. 21 to Oct. 9.

The US embassy said the Philippine-led exercise would enhance the interoperability between the US Marine air-ground task force and the Armed Forces of the Philippines and improve bilateral response to issues and maritime security crisis within the Asia-Pacific Region.

The war games will involve around 650 US and Filipino troops in command post exercises, field training exercises, amphibious operations, combined arms training, civil-military operations and humanitarian and civic assistance projects.

The command post exercises, wherein Filipino and US participants will hone their skills and improve their capabilities in planning and executing bilateral maritime operations, will be held in Palawan.

The US embassy said this year’s exercises would be held in the vicinity of Angeles and Clark Field in Pampanga and include small arms and artillery live-fire training.

“It will provide the Filipino and US Marine units opportunities to maintain and improved their skills.

The number of military sea and air assets that would be used in this year’s joint land and sea drills has not been disclosed.