Filipino and American marines conducted a live fire exercise using rocket weapons onboard a sea vessel during a force integration drill facing the West Philippine Sea (WPS), the military said on Saturday, Oct. 19.
Philippine Marine Corps (PMC) 3rd Marine Brigade personnel fired a rocket propelled grenade (RPG) aboard a coastal patrol boat as part of the Kaagapay ng Mandirigma sa Dagat (Kamandag 08-24) at the Naval Detachment Oyster Bay in Puerto Princesa City, Palawan last Oct. 17.
Meanwhile, their counterparts from the United States Marine Corps (USMC) 1st Battalion, 5th Marines (1/5) Battalion Landing Team fired a shoulder-launched multi-purpose assault weapon (SMAW), which is a smoothbore shoulder-fired rocket launcher.
“The exercise aims to test the competency of both Marines in handling their respective heavy weapon system,” Captain Marissa Meriel, 3rd Marine Brigade spokesperson, said.
The marines will also perform a humanitarian assistance and disaster response (HADR) demonstration on Oct. 20 and a combined arms littoral live fire exercise on Oct. 22 in Burgos, Ilocos Norte.
A counter-landing exercise will also be staged in Aborlan, Palawan on Oct. 22 to test the capabilities of both marines in defending the country's coastline from hostile forces.
On the same day, the marines will conduct a visit board search and seizure (VBSS) and maritime sniping exercise in Ternate, Cavite; and a senior leadership forum in Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City.
A full mission profile that would test and validate the tactics, techniques and procedures learned by the marines will be held on Oct. 23 in Ternate.
An estimated 2,350 military personnel have been training together in various training sites in Palawan facing the tension-filled WPS, northern Luzon near Taiwan, Central Luzon, National Capital Region, and Cavite as part of the eight iteration of the Kamandag exercise.
The drill also included participants from Japan, South Korea, United Kingdom and Australia, as well as observers from France, Thailand, and Indonesia.
PMC Commandant, Maj. Gen. Arturo Rojas previously said that the joint drill was not directed towards another country.
Kamandag was launched on Oct. 15, a day after China held large-scale military exercises near Taiwan. It will run until Oct. 25.