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Philippines, Japan end joint exercise held concurrently with U.S.


Philippine Marines conduct an amphibious landing during KAMANDAG 6 in Zambales, Philippines, on October 7, 2022. KAMANDAG is an annual bilateral exercise between the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the U.S. military designed to strengthen a shared experience of interoperability, capability, trust and cooperation built over decades. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Ujian Gosun)

For the past two weeks, the Philippine military and the Japanese Self-Defense Forces have conducted separate but simultaneous joint military exercises in cooperation with the U.S. military. These reinforce the countries’ commitment to mutual defense, especially concerns over regional uncertainty caused by the People’s Republic of China.

In the Philippines, Kamandag is an acronym for “Sea Warriors Cooperation” in Tagalog, and more than 2,550 U.S. Marines and 530 Philippine Marines are involved in a range of operations, including island exercises for amphibious landings, humanitarian IS Aid and Live Fire Exercise. Later on at an artillery and bombing field in a desolate valley outside the town of Capas, north of Manila, it saw fire from a 155mm M777 howitzer and a HIMARS multiple rocket system. Navy ships and Marine Corps Air Forces also participated in support of the exercise objectives. Kamandag included the presence of military observers from the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force and the Republic of Korea, which further expanded the scope of the event.

For 14 days on the same day, U.S. Marine Corps and Japan Ground Self-Defense Force units conducted joint training on the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido. The exercise involved about 2,100 Japanese Ground Self-Defense Forces and 1,400 US Marines. The operations included missions with six U.S. MV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft, which are also being procured by the Japan Self-Defense Forces. The bilateral exercise, which represents the defense of the remote island, also includes live ammunition. These include multiple rocket systems, as well as artillery and ground maneuvers. A statement from Japan’s Joint Staff emphasized that “these exercises reaffirmed the cooperation between the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force and the U.S. Armed Forces, demonstrating a strong will, close and seamless cooperation to deal with any situation”.

In a statement, Jay Bargeron, commander of U.S. Marine Corps 3rd Division Command, explained in a statement that “the exercise is designed to strengthen the defense capabilities of the United States and the Philippines and Japan allies, “And to ensure that “we are ready to respond quickly to a crisis across the Indo-Pacific”.

However, representatives of the military concerned emphasized that these regularly scheduled annual exercises are not aimed at any particular country, but are aimed at developing and improving the ability to act together if necessary to deal with any crisis that may arise.

The two simultaneous military exercises concluded on Friday, October 14, 2022. On October 14, the Philippine Navy, the US Navy, the Royal Australian Navy, the French Navy, the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force and the Royal Navy began a four-day interoperability exercise in the Sulu Sea.

by Stephen W.miller





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