Marine and naval forces from the Philippines, United States, Japan, and South Korea kicked off on Monday, Oct. 3, the “KAMANDAG” Exercise 2022 which seeks to enhance the interoperability of participating forces in perfecting marine warfighting doctrines to help preserve the peace and security in the Indo-Pacific region.
The KAMANDAG Exercise, or Kaagapay ng mga Mandirigma mula sa Dagat (Cooperation of the Warriors of the Sea), is a bilateral training between the Philippine Marine Corps (PMC) and the United States Marine Corps (USMC). It is borne out of the PH-US Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT), a 1951 defense pact between Manila and Washington which states that both nations will defend each other in case of an attack from a third-party country.
Now on its sixth year, the exercise will take place across Luzon from Oct. 3 to 14 and this is the first time that the drills will be held face-to-face since the Covid-19 pandemic.
The PMC fielded 1,057 personnel while the USMC deployed 2,553 troops for the two-week training. Meanwhile, the Republic of Korea (ROK) Marine Corps has 120 personnel and Japan Ground Self Defense Force (JGSDF) has 30 personnel who will act as “observers” and join the humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) drills.
This is the first time that South Korea have sent its troops to join the training.
“Through this exercise, we are able to learn from the techniques, tactics, and procedures to develop our interoperability strategy in the Philippine Marine Corps,” said Maj. Gen. Charlton Sean Garlan, PMC Commandant.
Working together
Rear Adm. Caesar Bernard Valencia, acting Flag Officer in Command (FOIC) of the Philippine Navy (PN), said that KAMANDAG helps the participating nations to “prepare for a wide range of challenges including traditional security threats on a global scale” and “non-traditional security concerns” such as disaster response operations.
“Exercises like KAMANDAG allow us to work together multilaterally not only to reinforce our commitment to our partner-nations but also to expand our regional relationships,” he said.
“This is not just a collaboration between the US and Philippine defense forces, rather, this is a platform where nations who are participants or observers alike can express their commitment to regional peace and stability,” he added.
Valencia noted that this year’s drills are based on fictional scenarios and not related to any current geopolitical situation as he quashed claims that the events are directed towards China’s aggression against Taiwan, particularly on the Taiwan Strait which lies just north of the Philippines.
Tension in Taiwan Strait rose after US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited the self-governing island of Taiwan in August. China was angered by the move, deploying fighter jets to show its might, as it claims Taiwan as its province.
“Kamandag was conceptualized last year. It is not dependent on what the regional situation is. This has nothing to do with any geopolitical concerns that we have right now,” Valencia clarified.
The drills include amphibious operations and chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and explosives (CBRNE) training in Zambales; amphibious raid, beach landing, and littoral and land search and rescue (SAR) in Claveria, Aparri, and Palaui Island in Cagayan; humanitarian assistance in Batanes and Mavullis Island; combined arms live fire exercise (CALFEX) in Tarlac; reconnaissance subject matter expert exchange (SMEE) in Cavite; photography SMEE in Taguig City; and maritime awareness and coastal defense in Palawan.
The exercise director for KAMANDAG '22 is Brig. Gen. Jesus Caldez.
“KAMANDAG truly replicates dynamism in the current and emerging security environment. As we navigate this complex and volatile security environment, I hope that we will continue to stand together as allies and partners, armed with a commitment to uphold the values and principles of freedom, democracy, and a rules-based order in the Indo-Pacific,” Valencia said.
Rear Adm. Derek Trinque, commander of Expeditionary Strike Group 7 and Amphibious Force, 7th Fleet of the US Navy, said the US is committed to work with “like-minded” nations to rehearse “emerging concepts” in warfighting such as CBRNE defense, particularly on the use of nuclear weapons.
“CBRNE defense is something that we never want to have to worry about but certainly it’s a capability that the United States military has,” he said.
“We never want to use these capabilities, we never want them to become necessary but it is something that we want to practice, have a plan, and you know, what to enact if God forbid anything would ever require these capabilities,” he added.