MANILA – The first amphibious exercise between the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Australian Defense Force (ADF) formally opened on Monday in the city of Darwin.
In a statement, AFP public affairs office chief Lt. Col. Enrico Gil Ileto said the maneuvers formally kicked off at the flight deck of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) landing helicopter dock HMAS Canberra (LO2) with Indo-Pacific Endeavor (IPE) 2023 commander Air Commodore Tony McCormack present during the proceedings.
The drills would run until Aug. 31.
He said the maneuvers, also known as "Exercise Alon 2023", are part of the IPE activities for this year and the first bilateral amphibious exercise between Australia and the Philippines. “Alon” means waves in Tagalog.
"The term 'waves' signifies the characteristics of amphibious warfare and emphasizes the projection of ground and air power onto a hostile or potentially hostile shore.
"The IPE23 is Australia’s flagship international engagement activity in the Southeast Asian and Indian Ocean region," Ileto said.
IPE aims to promote security, stability, and stronger partnership through bilateral and multilateral engagement training, capacity building and humanitarian efforts.
The opening ceremony started with the acknowledgment of participating militaries including the 111 contingent from the AFP who were aboard the ship, commanders of participating RAN and ADF units and representatives from the United States Marines Corps (USMC).
"The departure of Exercise Alon 2023 participants onboard HMAS Canberra from Australia to the Philippines after the opening ceremony depicts the start of a bilateral and joint led amphibious field training exercise of the ADF with the AFP," Ileto said.
This will be held at various training locations in the Northern Luzon Command and Western Command with ground, aviation and surface assets from ADF, Philippine Navy, Philippine Marine Corps (PMC), Philippine Fleet, Philippine Air Force, and Philippine Army supported by USMC.
Overall, multiple ships and aircraft and more than 2,000 personnel will be involved in the exercise, which includes approximately 700 personnel from the AFP, 1,200 from the ADF and another 150 from the USMC.
The USMC will be a participant but as support, Ileto said.
"USMC personnel will be integrated with Australia's Amphibious Force and we will be utilizing USMC's MV-22 during the combined air assault," he added.
Ileto said the main objective of this exercise is to enhance interoperability and be able to share tactics, techniques and procedures and best practices in the conduct of amphibious operations in the accomplishment of the PMC and AFP mission.
The bilateral exercise will help enhance regional security through cooperation and partnership. It will further enhance interoperability and readiness to respond to shared security challenges.
It is also expected to be an avenue for a shared commitment to a peaceful, prosperous and resilient Indo-Pacific Region.
(PNA)