4,000 troops join PH-US war games

AFP FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—About 4,000 troops from the United States Navy and the Philippine Navy will take part in a bilateral air-ground and amphibious training in Palawan province by the end of the month.

Called the Philippine Amphibious Landing Exercise (Phiblex 15), the event will open at 10 a.m. on Sept. 29 at the Naval Forces West headquarters in Barangay San Miguel, Puerto Princesa City.

More than 3,000 US personnel will join 1,000 Filipino troops from the Philippine Navy and Marines in the 12-day training exercise, according to a statement from the Naval Public Affairs Office.

The bilateral exercise is set from Sept. 29 to Oct. 10 and is aimed at improving the interoperability, readiness and response to natural disasters or other regional contingencies of the participating troops.

1st Lt. Jerber Antonio Belonio, the head of the Philippine Marines public affairs office, said the training will include a command post exercise; field training exercises with small arms and artillery live-fire training; amphibious operations; ship-to-shore movement; combined arms training; and civil-military operations.

Earlier, Lt. Cmdr. Marideth Domingo, chief of the Philippine Navy public affairs office, said the exercises will be conducted in various locations in Luzon such as Palawan, the Naval Education Training Command in San Antonio, Zambales province, Subic Bay and the Philippine Marines Base in Ternate, Cavite province.

RELATED STORIES

PH seeks more US navy ships amid China threat

China defends intercepting US Navy plane