Amphibious assault vehicles carrying Marines from 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment depart the USS Germantown in preparation for Kamandag drills in Subic Bay, Philippines, Monday, Oct. 7, 2019. TONI BURTON/U.S. NAVY
U.S. and Philippine forces will practice amphibious operations, live-fire training, urban combat, aviation ops and counterterrorism during the third-annual Kamandag exercise on the islands of Luzon and Palawan.
The activities at this month’s Kamandag — scheduled for Oct. 9-18 — will represent an increase in military capability and demonstrate the ability to deploy forces in the event of a crisis or natural disaster, the U.S. Embassy in Manila said in a statement Monday.
Kamandag — short for “Kaagapay Ng Mga Mandirigma Ng Dagat,” or “Cooperation of Warriors of the Sea” — will also involve Japan Self-Defense Forces conducting humanitarian-assistance and disaster-relief missions with U.S. and Philippine troops, the embassy said in its statement.
About 1,850 troops – 1,400 Americans, 350 Filipino and 100 Japanese – will be involved in the drills, according to information provided by the embassy Tuesday.
U.S. participants include the Okinawa-based III Marine Expeditionary Force and the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit out of Camp Pendleton, Calif. Ships include two San Diego-based amphibious vessels, the USS Boxer and the USS John P. Murtha, along with the Sasebo, Japan-based dock landing ship USS Germantown.
“New for this year’s KAMANDAG, U.S., Philippine, and Japanese forces will conduct assault amphibious vehicle training together,” the embassy said in its statement. “It will also be the first to include U.S. and Philippine low-altitude air defense training and threat reaction training.”
Manila, which has clashed with Beijing over island territory in the South China Sea, is expanding its amphibious capability. Last year, the Philippine navy commissioned a second sealift vessel called the BRP Davao del Sur.
Last month, Philippine marines trained for the first time with eight amphibious armored vehicles purchased from South Korean company Hanwha Defense, according to Jane’s Defense Weekly.
The vehicles, like those operated by U.S. Marines and the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force, can each carry up to 25 troops and can be armed with a 40 mm automatic grenade launcher and a 12.7 mm machine gun, as well as smoke grenade launchers, according to Jane’s.
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