The Philippine Air Force (PAF) formally opened thePacific Airlift Rally (PAR) 2023 at the Clark Air Base in Mabalacat City, Pampanga on Monday, August 14.
A total of 779 participants from the PAF, Philippine Army (PA), and counterparts from United States, Japan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Brunei, Canada, Maldives, Mongolia, Nepal, Singapore, Sri Lanka, and Timor Leste are joining the biennial aerial drill that will culminate on August 18.
The participants will take part in flying training exercises (FTX), table top exercises (TTX), and subject matter expert exchanges (SMEEs) focusing on C-130 maintenance, advance patient movement and evacuation, and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) among others.
Six C-130 cargo planes from the PAF, US Air Force (USAF), Japan Air Self Defense Force (JASDF), Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF), and Indonesian Air Force (IDAF) will be utilized in the exercise.
PAF hosts aerial exercise involving 13 other countries
At a glance
The Philippine Air Force (PAF) formally opened the Pacific Airlift Rally (PAR) 2023 at the Clark Air Base in Mabalacat City, Pampanga on Monday, August 14, bringing together hundreds of participants from 13 other countries.
A total of 779 participants from the PAF, Philippine Army (PA), and counterparts from United States, Japan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Brunei, Canada, Maldives, Mongolia, Nepal, Singapore, Sri Lanka, and Timor Leste are joining the biennial aerial drill that will culminate on August 18.
“The Philippine Air Force, as a first time host and 10th nation to facilitate this capability-building exercise, is honored to be the instrument that brought 14 countries together to achieve stronger multilateral cooperation,” said PAF spokesperson Col. Ma. Consuelo Castillo.
Maj. Gen. Joannis Leonardi Dimaano, commander of PAF’s Air Mobility Command, said the exercise embodies cooperation, unity, and shared expertise of the different nations to help keep the Indo-Pacific “a safer and more secure region.”
“The ultimate aim of this year's Pacific Airlift Rally is to bolster operational readiness, cultivate interoperability, and foster international cooperation among the participating countries,” Dimaano stated.
Throughout the duration of the drill, the participants composed of planners, air and maintenance crew, and mission commanders will take part in flying training exercises (FTX), table top exercises (TTX), and subject matter expert exchanges (SMEEs) focusing on C-130 maintenance, advance patient movement and evacuation, and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) among others.
Six C-130 cargo planes from the PAF, US Air Force (USAF), Japan Air Self Defense Force (JASDF), Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF), and Indonesian Air Force (IDAF) will be utilized in the exercise.
A separate ceremony was held at a hotel in Mabalacat City led by Brig. Gen. Federico Enriquez, wing commander of PAF’s 220th Airlift Wing, for the formal opening of the table top exercises.
The PAF stressed the importance of the exercise for the Philippines as it noted that the Indo-Pacific region is home to 60 percent of the world’s population in 45 nations spread across 53 percent of the Earth’s surface.
The PAF further stressed that majority of the world’s natural disasters occur in the said region, thus, it is “important that nations should cooperate and improve joint capabilities” to effectively provide support to civilian disaster response agencies in times of need.