PH-US troops to hold joint naval exercises next month
Amidst the call by President Rodrigo Roa Duterte for the US Forces to pull out from Mindanao for their safety, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) still invited approximately 1,400 US servicemen for a series of naval exercises in October.
The 33rd iteration of the Philippine Amphibious Landing Exercise, or PHILBEX33, will have 500 members of the AFP and Philippine Marines training side by side with some 1,400 US servicemen and women from the 3rd Marine Expeditionary Brigade and the Bonhomme Richard Expeditionary Strike Group.
PHILBEX33 is scheduled from October 4 – 12, and will happen in parts of Luzon, including Palawan. Throughout the exercise, troops will engage in humanitarian civic assistance efforts (which started this month), amphibious landing exercises, and live firing exercises featuring artillery.
These exercises are designed to improve capabilities of both forces in responding to natural disasters or armed conflict, especially when it comes to amphibious capabilities.
“The opportunity to train and build mutually beneficial capabilities with our Armed Forces of the Philippines partners is essential for sharpening our bilateral amphibious and humanitarian assistance capabilities, both hallmarks of the US Marine Corps,” said Brig. Gen. John M. Jansen, commanding general of the US 3rd Marine Expeditionary Brigade.
President Duterte’s call for a pull out of the US troops came in because of concerns about their safety. No official request has been from the government for a US pull-out.
Source: CNN Philippines, Manila Bulletin, The Standard, The Manila Times
