Post by Karl Welteke on May 20, 2014 12:59:36 GMT 8
THE ANNUAL US-PHIL EXERCISE WILL END FRIDAY, MAY 17, 2014
The Philstar paper reports
(philstar.com) | Updated May 15, 2014 - 6:47pm, here is the URL:
www.philstar.com/headlines/2014/05/15/1323479/phl-us-end-balikatan-2014
MANILA, Philippines - The 30th Balikatan military exercises between the Philippines and the United States (US) will end Friday with officials saying that the drills boosted the defense ties between the two countries.
The closing ceremony for the bilateral exercise will be held at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City at around 9 a.m.
Among the key personalities who are expected to attend the event are Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin, US Embassy Chargé d' Affaires Brian Goldberg, Armed Forces chief Gen. Emmanuel Bautista, Philippine exercise director Maj. Gen. Emeraldo Magnaye and US deputy exercise director Maj. Gen. Richard Simcock.
Lt. Annaleah Cazcarro, public affairs officer for the exercise, said the training boosted the interoperability of the two militaries.
“There are improvements when it comes to interoperability and of course the crisis planning of the AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines) and of course on how to react to maritime security (situations),” Cazcarro said in a phone interview.
Around 3,000 Filipino soldiers and 2,500 American military personnel participated in Balikatan 2014, which started May 5.
This year’s drills focused on maritime security, humanitarian assistance and disaster response, and humanitarian civic assistance.
Staff planning exercises were conducted in Camp Aguinaldo and in Western Command in Palawan, the province nearest to the disputed Spratly Islands.
Field training exercises were held in military camps in Clark Air Base in Pampanga, Crow Valley in Tarlac, and Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija.
Live fire exercises
Around 700 Filipino soldiers and 300 US troops joined the combined arms and live-fire exercise (CALFEX) at the Crow Valley Gunnery Range in Capas, Tarlac.
Army chief Lt. Gen. Hernando Iriberri witnessed the execution of the final scenario- based raids, which sought to highlight the skills of the Philippine and US forces in combined operations.
The field training exercise is based on simulated realistic scenarios and included a helicopter raid, mechanized raid, motorized raid, and ground troop maneuvers.
Army spokesman Lt. Col. Noel Detoyato said CALFEX is the culmination of staff planning in Camp Aguinaldo and the Western Command headquarters.
The planning activities zeroed in on improving crisis action planning capability in maritime security and territorial defense operations.
Among the units that joined the exercise were the 20th Infantry Battalion, 31st Mechanized Company, 211th Marine Company, 511th Marine Weapons Company, Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force, Artillery Company; and the Philippine Air Force Support Units.
The US contingent, meanwhile, consisted of the U.S. Marine Corps Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Company Detachment. – Alexis Romero and Ronald Mendoza
HERE ARE THREE SAMPLE IMAGES ABOUT THE BALIKATAN EXERCISE 2014 FROM THE US PACIFIC COMMAND Flikr photostream. Here is the URL:
www.flickr.com/photos/us-pacific-command/
X300--
CROW VALLEY, Philippines (May 15, 2014) - Philippine Army Special Forces freefall jumpers with Special Operations Command, stationed at Fort Magsaysay jump from a KC-130J "Sumos", assigned to Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron 152, Marine Aircraft Group 36, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, based at Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, Okinawa, Japan, during High Altitude Low Opening military freefall jumps during the Combined Arms Live Fire Exercise for Balikatan 2014. This year marks the 30th iteration of Balikatan, which is an annual Republic of the Philippines-U.S. military bilateral training exercise. (Photo by Lance Cpl. Allison DeVries)
140515-M-MN153-010
X301--
BASA AIR BASE, Philippines (May 14, 2014) - Philippine Marine Cpl. Redan Batiller, a radio point man with 62 Marine Corps Special Operations, Marine Special Operations Group, stationed at Marine Barracks Rudiardo Brown, Taguig, and U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. Kevin Goez, a field radio operator with 3rd Reconnaissance, Camp Schwab, Okinawa, Japan, share a Meal Ready to Eat while watching for the static line jumpers during static line jumps and High Altitude Low Opening military freefall jumps during Balikatan 2014 at Basa Air Base, Floridablanca. This year marks the 30th iteration of Balikatan, which is an annual Republic of the Philippines-U.S. military bilateral training exercise. (Photo by Lance Cpl. Allison DeVries)
140514-M-MN153-023
X302--
CLARK AIR BASE, Philippines (May 12, 2014) - Capt. William Oren, far left, familiarizes members of the Philippine Air Force with the Super Cobra before a flight during Balikatan. Senior service members of the PAF rode in the front seat of the Cobra to compare how Marines conduct flight operations versus themselves. Balikatan, in its 30th iteration, is a bilateral exercise between the U.S. and the Republic of the Philippines and aims at building both nations interoperability during joint planning, contingency, humanitarian and disaster relief operations. Oren is an AH-1W attack pilot with Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 469, Marine Aircraft Group 12, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing under the Unit Deployment Program. The PAF service members are McDonnell Douglas 520 Military Gunship pilots with the 18th Attack Squadron, 15th Strike Wing. The Super Cobra is with HMLA-469, MAG-12, 1st MAW. (Photo by Lance Cpl. Abbey Perria)
051214-M-UT901-001
The Philstar paper reports
(philstar.com) | Updated May 15, 2014 - 6:47pm, here is the URL:
www.philstar.com/headlines/2014/05/15/1323479/phl-us-end-balikatan-2014
MANILA, Philippines - The 30th Balikatan military exercises between the Philippines and the United States (US) will end Friday with officials saying that the drills boosted the defense ties between the two countries.
The closing ceremony for the bilateral exercise will be held at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City at around 9 a.m.
Among the key personalities who are expected to attend the event are Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin, US Embassy Chargé d' Affaires Brian Goldberg, Armed Forces chief Gen. Emmanuel Bautista, Philippine exercise director Maj. Gen. Emeraldo Magnaye and US deputy exercise director Maj. Gen. Richard Simcock.
Lt. Annaleah Cazcarro, public affairs officer for the exercise, said the training boosted the interoperability of the two militaries.
“There are improvements when it comes to interoperability and of course the crisis planning of the AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines) and of course on how to react to maritime security (situations),” Cazcarro said in a phone interview.
Around 3,000 Filipino soldiers and 2,500 American military personnel participated in Balikatan 2014, which started May 5.
This year’s drills focused on maritime security, humanitarian assistance and disaster response, and humanitarian civic assistance.
Staff planning exercises were conducted in Camp Aguinaldo and in Western Command in Palawan, the province nearest to the disputed Spratly Islands.
Field training exercises were held in military camps in Clark Air Base in Pampanga, Crow Valley in Tarlac, and Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija.
Live fire exercises
Around 700 Filipino soldiers and 300 US troops joined the combined arms and live-fire exercise (CALFEX) at the Crow Valley Gunnery Range in Capas, Tarlac.
Army chief Lt. Gen. Hernando Iriberri witnessed the execution of the final scenario- based raids, which sought to highlight the skills of the Philippine and US forces in combined operations.
The field training exercise is based on simulated realistic scenarios and included a helicopter raid, mechanized raid, motorized raid, and ground troop maneuvers.
Army spokesman Lt. Col. Noel Detoyato said CALFEX is the culmination of staff planning in Camp Aguinaldo and the Western Command headquarters.
The planning activities zeroed in on improving crisis action planning capability in maritime security and territorial defense operations.
Among the units that joined the exercise were the 20th Infantry Battalion, 31st Mechanized Company, 211th Marine Company, 511th Marine Weapons Company, Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force, Artillery Company; and the Philippine Air Force Support Units.
The US contingent, meanwhile, consisted of the U.S. Marine Corps Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Company Detachment. – Alexis Romero and Ronald Mendoza
HERE ARE THREE SAMPLE IMAGES ABOUT THE BALIKATAN EXERCISE 2014 FROM THE US PACIFIC COMMAND Flikr photostream. Here is the URL:
www.flickr.com/photos/us-pacific-command/
X300--
CROW VALLEY, Philippines (May 15, 2014) - Philippine Army Special Forces freefall jumpers with Special Operations Command, stationed at Fort Magsaysay jump from a KC-130J "Sumos", assigned to Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron 152, Marine Aircraft Group 36, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, based at Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, Okinawa, Japan, during High Altitude Low Opening military freefall jumps during the Combined Arms Live Fire Exercise for Balikatan 2014. This year marks the 30th iteration of Balikatan, which is an annual Republic of the Philippines-U.S. military bilateral training exercise. (Photo by Lance Cpl. Allison DeVries)
140515-M-MN153-010
X301--
BASA AIR BASE, Philippines (May 14, 2014) - Philippine Marine Cpl. Redan Batiller, a radio point man with 62 Marine Corps Special Operations, Marine Special Operations Group, stationed at Marine Barracks Rudiardo Brown, Taguig, and U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. Kevin Goez, a field radio operator with 3rd Reconnaissance, Camp Schwab, Okinawa, Japan, share a Meal Ready to Eat while watching for the static line jumpers during static line jumps and High Altitude Low Opening military freefall jumps during Balikatan 2014 at Basa Air Base, Floridablanca. This year marks the 30th iteration of Balikatan, which is an annual Republic of the Philippines-U.S. military bilateral training exercise. (Photo by Lance Cpl. Allison DeVries)
140514-M-MN153-023
X302--
CLARK AIR BASE, Philippines (May 12, 2014) - Capt. William Oren, far left, familiarizes members of the Philippine Air Force with the Super Cobra before a flight during Balikatan. Senior service members of the PAF rode in the front seat of the Cobra to compare how Marines conduct flight operations versus themselves. Balikatan, in its 30th iteration, is a bilateral exercise between the U.S. and the Republic of the Philippines and aims at building both nations interoperability during joint planning, contingency, humanitarian and disaster relief operations. Oren is an AH-1W attack pilot with Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 469, Marine Aircraft Group 12, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing under the Unit Deployment Program. The PAF service members are McDonnell Douglas 520 Military Gunship pilots with the 18th Attack Squadron, 15th Strike Wing. The Super Cobra is with HMLA-469, MAG-12, 1st MAW. (Photo by Lance Cpl. Abbey Perria)
051214-M-UT901-001