The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), through the Philippine Marine Corps (PMC), will officially commence the 6th iteration of the Bilateral Exercise with the United States Armed Forces, 31st and 11th Marine Expeditionary Units, on October 3, 2022 at the Philippine Navy Officers Club.
The PMC-led capacity enhancement training dubbed, “Kaagapay Ng Mga Mandirigma ng Dagat” (KAMANDAG), which translates to “Cooperation of the Warriors of the Sea”, will be held in areas of Luzon from October 3-14, 2022. The PMC and the US Marine Corps will be joined by the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force and the Republic of Korea Marine Corps for the first time as exercise observers.
KAMANDAG 6-22 aims to enhance bilateral cooperation and interoperability among participating forces in the conduct of combined tactical operations that focus on capacitating the Marine Amphibious Ready Unit and enhancing their capabilities in Special Operations, Coastal Defense Capability, Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Response (HADR) Operations, and Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear Operations.
PMC Commandant, MGen. Charlton Sean M. Gaerlan PN(M) expressed, “The Philippine Marine Corps looks forward to this year’s KAMANDAG Exercise with our foreign military allies who are advanced in terms of amphibious operations, special operations, HADR operations, and territorial defense capabilities. Through this exercise, we are able to learn from their techniques, tactics, and procedures to develop our interoperability strategy in the Philippine Marine Corps, especially as we operationalize our Marine Corps Operating Concept for Archipelagic Coastal Defense.”
The commencement ceremony will be graced by the Acting Flag Officer in Command, Philippine Navy, Rear Admiral Caesar Bernard N. Valencia PN. (VICTOR BALDEMOR)
