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PH, US Marines begin 7th Kamandag Exercises

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Jeff Caparas, ABS-CBN News

MANILA — The 7th iteration of the Kamandag bilateral exercise between the Philippine Marine Corps (PMC) and United States Marine Corps (USMC) officially commenced Thursday. Kamandag — an abbreviation for &quot;Kaagapay Ng Mga Mandirigma Ng Dagat&quot; which means &quot;Cooperation of the Warriors of the Sea&quot; — will be held in various training sites across Luzon, Batanes, Zamboanga, Tawi-Tawi, and Palawan from November 9 to 20, 2023.A total of 2,749 military personnel will participate in the exercises, of whom 1,732 are from the Philippine Marines Corps, Marine Reservist, Naval Combat Engineering Brigade, Naval Special Operations Command, Philippine Airforce, and Philippine Army. Some 902 will come from the US Marine Corps, 57 from the Republic of Korea Marine Corps, 50 from Japan Ground Self-Defense Forces, and 8 from the UK Armed Forces.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/10/02/23/7-other-countries-to-join-ph-us-naval-exercise">PH, US open joint naval exercise; 7 other countries to participate</a></li></ul>B.Gen. Jimmy Larida, the director of the Exercise Directorate for the Philippine Navy, said activities this year would focus on special operations, coastal defense, humanitarian assistance and disaster response operations, and chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear response. “Although most of our events will be subject matter exchanges, we believe that these activities are very important as we continue to optimize our systems and procedures in warfighting,” said Larida.“We are situated in a very dynamic operating environment with vast and porous borders and we believe that engaging in exercises with our partners will help us achieve our goals not only for a safer and more secure Philippines but for the South East Asian Region as a whole,” he added. The Commandant of the Philippine Marines, MGen. Arturo Rojas said the exercise would enhance their regional readiness and contribute to a secure and stable environment as they showcase their ability by working side by side on shared objectives.“Together we will send a powerful message to the world, especially to those who may seek to disrupt the peace: that our partnership is unbreakable, our resolve unyielding, and our commitment to defending our nations is always unwavering,” Rojas said.Flag Officer in Command of the Philippine Navy Vice Admiral Toribio Adaci Jr. said it was important that their men participate in the exercise to upgrade their capabilities and fulfill their goal of becoming a modern and multi-capable naval force.“As we stand shoulder to shoulder with our allies and partners in the face of challenges, let Exercise Kamandag pave the way for even closer cooperation and collaboration among our forces in the years to come,&quot; Adaci said. &quot;Let us all send a message to the world that we like-minded nations respect international law and rules-based international order come together, collaborate, cooperate, and train to protect the common interest,&quot; he continued. Larida clarified that the exercises had nothing to do with the recent tensions in the West Philippine Sea. He said he was not expecting any negative reaction from the exercise as its only purpose was to train the Philippine Marines.<figure class="op-interactive"><iframe height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/8mTlGY_4OSo?enablejsapi=1" width="560"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a></div>The timing should not also be an issue because Kamandag has always been scheduled annually for the months of October and November, he said.“This particular exercise will not be directed against a particular issue, particularly in the West Philippine Sea. The exercise is not designed to prepare for a very particular conflict but the exercise is designed to prepare our marines and soldiers of participating nations to prepare generally for operational readiness in any kind of challenges in any adversaries,&quot; Larida said.“Since it is not designed to provoke a certain country, it is not designed to prepare for a particular conflict,” he added.&quot;It has no relationship to what’s happening in the West Philippine Sea, this particular exercise is planned to enhance the interoperability among the participating forces. There is no particular threat we are preparing for, any threats in the future we have to be ready,” added Colonel Gregorio Hernandez, the assistant exercise directorate for Kamandag.Hernandez added that with the recent cyberattacks on government sites, AFP Chief of Staff General Romeo Brawner ordered them to strengthen and protect their cyber security. This is where the US counterpart comes in.In this year’s Kamandag, the military added the major difference from last year is that they would focus on learning from counterparts&#x27; new emerging concepts.For example, from Korea, they expect to learn the basic concepts of maintenance and operations of amphibious assault vehicles. Larida added that both Japan and the Philippines are prone to disasters and they expect to learn disaster response from their Japanese counterpart.BGen. Larida said there was no plan yet to conduct Kamandag outside the country. But they are doing their best to send marines to abroad. Meanwhile, members of the youth group Anakbayan picketed in front of the US Embassy in Manila earlier Thursday to oppose the Kamandag Exercises between the Philippines and the US. Anakbayan National spokesperson Kate Almenzo said that the drills are an attack on national sovereignty and a threat to local security.Security and police personnel asked protesters to leave the area.

The 7th iteration of the KAMANDAG bilateral exercise between the Philippines and the United States Marines commenced Thursday at the PMC Headquarters in Taguig.

PH, US Marines begin 7th Kamandag Exercises

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PH, US Marines begin 7th Kamandag Exercises

Jeff Caparas,

ABS-CBN News

Published November 09, 2023 03:38 PM PHT

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7th KAMANDAG Exercises

KAMANDAG Exercises

Philippines United States exercises

Philippine Marine Corps

US Marine Corps

PMC

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