AT least 2, 300 Filipino and American Marines will take part in military exercises that will last for three weeks and will start in the middle part of this month.
The training exercises come as the Philippines and the US are negotiating for a Framework Agreement that will cover the increased rotational presence of US soldiers in the country.
Dubbed the “Philippine Bilateral Exercise 2013 [Phiblex],” it will be the 30th training engagement between the members of the Philippine Marine Corps and their American counterparts.
The training involves “bilateral air-ground and amphibious training as well as a staff planning exercise,” said 1Lt. Vince Edward Salmingo, Phiblex 2014 public affairs officer.
Salmingo said Filipino Marines will be paired with members of the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit and 3rd Marine Expeditionary Brigade from the US Marine Corps during the training.
The military exercises, which will begin on September 18, will be held in selected camps and training areas of the Armed Forces.
These include the Naval Education and Training Command enclave in San Antonio, Zambales; the Crow Valley target range in Capas, Tarlac; the Marine Base Gregorio Lim in Ternate, Cavite; the Marine Barracks Rudiardo Brown in Metro Manila and at Basa Air Base and Clark Field in Pampanga.
Salmingo said Phiblex 14 should improve the interoperability between Filipino Marines and their American counterparts and increase their readiness and ability to respond to natural disasters and even other regional contingencies.
“The bilateral Philippine-US Marine Corps training, consisting of a staff planning exercise, field training exercises and humanitarian and civic assistance projects, sustains and reinforces the foundation and framework for a bilateral force to respond rapidly and effectively to regional humanitarian crises,” he said.
The staff planning exercise is expected to increase the capability of both forces to conduct bilateral maritime security and territorial defense operations.
On the other hand, the field training exercise should provide the Philippine and US Marine units an opportunity to maintain their unit skill, while sharing best practices and enhancing an already high level of interoperability. “Additionally, Philippine and US forces will carry out a series of humanitarian and civic assistance projects that will include engineering civic action projects to improve local infrastructure and cooperative health engagements, among others,” said Salmingo.
The humanitarian and civic assistance projects will be conducted in several barangays in Legazpi City, Albay.
“The bilateral activity aims to strengthen the commitment of the RP and the US to mutual security interests and sustain our long time partnership,” added Salmingo.
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