Pacific Airlift Rally 2023 opens in Clark Air Base

From the Sun Star-Pampanga (Aug 18, 2023): Pacific Airlift Rally 2023 opens in Clark Air Base (By JOVI DE LEON)

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO --- The Pacific Airlift Rally 2023, participated in by 779 military personnel from 14 countries, opened on August 14 at Clark Air Base in Pampanga.

The airlift rally, which is being conducted in various air bases in the country, will run until August 18, 2023.

The rally is aimed to strengthen operational readiness, cultivate interoperability, and foster international cooperation among the participating countries, including the Philippine Air Force (PAF) and Philippine Army.

The PAF and Philippine Army are joined by their counterparts from Malaysia, Indonesia, Japan, United States Of America, Bangladesh, Brunei Canada, Maldives, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Timor Leste, Singapore, and Mongolia.

Pacific Airlift Rally 2023 planners, air and maintenance crew, and mission commanders are engaging in various Subject Matter Expert Exchanges (SMEES).

It also includes C-130 maintenance, advance patient movement and evacuation, building resiliency through the military band, chaplain support for humanitarian assistance and disaster response, plus flying training and table top exercises.

On August 15 and 16, the PAF and United States Air Force (USAF) conducted hands-on "austere/expeditionary medical care with mass casualty simulation exercise" in Clark Air Base.

This is to ensure that medical personnel have the capability to operate in battlefield conditions (austere medicine refers to the practice of pre-hospital medical care, or in settings characterized by limited resources and constrained environment).

The "mass casualty simulation exercise," on the other hand, was conducted to assess the two countries' air forces' ability to triage and stabilize patients in a simulated mass casualty scenario, using the skills and knowledge they learned during the academic sessions.

PAF Air Mobility Command Commander Major General Joannis Leonardi Dimaano said the rally fosters multilateral cooperation, unity, and shared expertise of the different nations which will contribute to a safer and more secure region.

https://www.sunstar.com.ph/article/1970058/pampanga/local-news/pacific-airlift-rally-2023-opens-in-clark-air-base