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The exercise included members of the Philippine Marine Corps and the United States Marine Corps, Fox Company, 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment. Together, they executed a beach landing using amphibious assault vehicles (AAVs) and landing craft, utility vehicles.
“Today we are training with our counterparts from the Philippine Marine Corps, and our goal will be to seize a beach,†said Sgt. Victor Berg, from Philadelphia, Pa., Assigned to Fox Company, based in Camp Lejeune, NC “They’re going to join us in AAVs with two other platoons and basically do a company-sized maneuver at the inland. “
Amphibious training enables U.S. and Philippine forces to provide a more effective combined disaster response effort during operations ashore.
Once ashore, they continued to clear and secure the beach while receiving mock enemy fire.
“We have a solid standard operating procedure and as soon as we got a foothold they were able to walk past us very easily. We were able to establish a strong bond, â€said Berg, his peloton’s first team leader.
The amphibious exercise was also intended to enhance landing and disembarkation techniques between combined forces in a similar environment or conflict zone.
“I am grateful to work with our counterparts in the US Navy,†said Sgt. Benjie Licay, assigned to the 10th Marine Co., Philippine Marine Corps. “I have done this exercise seven times with the Marines and have always learned a lot. I feel lucky to be a part of this exercise.
Training efforts between the U.S. military and AFP ensure that the combined force remains ready to respond quickly to crises across the gamut of military operations, from conflict to natural disaster.
“It is very important that we continue to train together. We’re here to improve our long-standing relationship, â€said Berg.
By training together, the U.S. military and AFP are leveraging common tactics, techniques and procedures that enhance the readiness and response capabilities of both forces.
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