PH, US joint military exercise anew in Palawan

PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, 21 October (PIA) -- The United States Navy and the Philippine Marine Corps return to sea next week for another joint training exercises to improve interoperability, increase readiness and build professional and personal relationships.
The Philippines-US Amphibious Landing Exercise (Phiblex) will kick off on October 22 and will include community relations activities such as a school building project, medical and dental care missions, as well as humanitarian assistance missions to amphibious landing and live fire exercises in the west coast of the province and city.
The joint military exercises in Palawan will be simultaneous with the training exercises in Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija, Basa Air base in Pampanga, Marine barracks Gregorio Lim in Cavite, Crow Valley in Tarlac, and Naval Station San Miguel in Zambales. An estimated 2,000 US troops and a thousand Filipino soldiers are expected to participate in the training in the seven identified areas.
US Marines and sailor from the 3rd Marine Expeditionary Brigade based in Okinawa, Japan, amphibious dock landing ship USS Germantown, amphibious assault ship USS Essex and the transport dock ship USS Denver are taking part in the joint military exercises.
In a radio interview, Major Neil Anthony Estrella, PIO and Spokesman of the Western Command said that this exercise is designed to enhance interoperability for internal security operations and territorial capability.
He also said that one of the considerations for selection of training areas is where marine soldiers are already deployed which include Palawan with two marine battalions.
He also said that the joint military exercise is not related to any disputes going on in the Spratlys Group of Islands but is part of the yearly bilateral exercises conducted between the two countries under the Mutual Defense Agreement. (vsm/pia-palawan)