Filipino, American, and Japanese troops kicked off this year's iteration of the "Kaagapay ng mga Mandirigma mula sa Dagat" (KAMANDAG) exercise on Tuesday, September 28, but participants were drastically reduced due to the prevailing coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.
Major Gen. Ariel Caculitan, commandant of the Philippine Marine Corps, said 242 Filipino marines will participate in the eight-day long war games with 12 US Marine Corps (USMC) personnel and 25 Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) personnel.
This was a sharp drop from the combined 2,100 personnel that joined in 2019 before the COVID-19 outbreak started in the Philippines.
"We must be able to outmaneuver our enemies in the same way that we shall be able to maneuver this virus and still be able to continue to train because we have a very big responsibility in terms of defense and security of our people," Caculitan said during the opening ceremony of KAMANDAG 5-21 exercise at the PMC headquarters in Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City.
The KAMANDAG exercise is an annual joint exercise between the PMC and US Marine Corps under the Philippines-United States' mutual defense treaty, an accord signed in 1951 which states that both countries are to defend each other in case of an armed attack by a third-party country. It was postponed last year due to the pandemic but resumed this year under a strict implementation of protocols to prevent infection among the participants.
The war games sought to fortify the bilateral cooperation of the Philippines and US, and enhance the interoperability of Filipino and American forces along with other partner-nations. It also aims to strengthen allied countries' readiness and improve their responsiveness to crises in the region.
Japan, a neighbor of the Philippines in the Southeast Asia, has since started joining the exercise to bolster its military cooperation with the two countries.
The fifth iteration of KAMANDAG focuses on the simulation of counter-terrorism, internal security, and humanitarian and disaster response (HADR) operations of the three countries.
Most of the activities will be held virtually although there are four primary events that would require face-to-face interaction among the participants.
The first event involves HADR operations in San Antonio, Zambales where an amphibious landing simulation will be held on the ingress of the HADR team using amphibious assault vehicles (AAVs) to carry relief and medical assistance to an inaccessible place of disaster.
The second event focuses on counter terrorism operations on Corregidor Island where teams will simulate special operations in defending and taking an island.
The third event highlights coastal defense in Cagayan where participants would engage in the deployment and employment of shore-based weapons as combat service waterways and sea lines of communications.
The fourth and final event is about staff integration activity in Palawan. The participants will hold planning exercise to improve the interoperability planning process with other foreign allied forces in the context of territorial and coastal defense.
"While our physical presence is limited due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the scope of this exercise remains significant with the US Marines participating on both Philippine and Japanese soil," said Captain Benjamin Yoder, communication strategy and operations officer of the US' 3rd Marine Division.
Meanwhile, Major Yasutomo Kamiakito, commander of the JGSDF's Amphibious Rapid Deployment Brigade, underscored the importance of Japan's participation in the exercise to enhance their HADR operations.
"Both Japan and the Philippines suffer from common natural disasters such as earthquakes, typhoons, and flood almost every year. It is important for both countries to do HADR exercises to improve capabilities and share knowledge," he said.