PH, US marines open Kamandag exercise; NMESIS to be used in training
At a press conference, PMC commandant Major General Arturo Rojas said a total of around 4,000 participants are expected to join the training, which is set to be completed on June 6.
'We have around 2,000 for the PMC side and around the same number with our USMC counterparts,' Rojas said.
The Japan Ground Self-Defense Force, Republic of Korea Marine Corps, and United Kingdom Armed Forces will also participate in Kamandag.
Meanwhile, the Netherlands, Bahrain, Canada, New Zealand, among others, will serve as observers.
The US' missile system Navy-Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) will be used in training, according to Rojas.
'We'll be using the NMESIS also. Again, be able to learn and sustain what we have, what we did in the past Balikatan,' he said.
The NMESIS will be deployed to the northern Luzon area, according to USMC's Marine Rotational Force - Darwin 25.3 commanding officer Colonel Jason Armas.
'These are scenario-driven exercises where we will conduct operations with the NMESIS, which is a great capability. It extends the commander's operational reach. And what it really does is it continues to validate Force Design 2030 for the USMC,' Armas said.
'And I would argue that it truly enhances the archipelagic coastal defense concept for the Philippine Armed Forces and really moving forward in modernization,' he added.
Among the exercises that will be featured in this year's Kamandag are the following:
Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and Explosive (CBRN) Subject Matter Expert Exchange (SMEE)
Senior Enlisted Leaders Symposium (SELS)
Maritime & Special Operation Forces events
Live Fire Integration
Maritime Strike
Counter-Landing/Defensive Retrograde Operation
Special Operating Forces Strike
Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief.
— RSJ, GMA Integrated News
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