FILIPINO and Australian troops yesterday launched the first amphibious exercise between the two Armed Forces in Darwin, Australia and later sailed to the Philippines aboard an Australian warship.
Armed Forces public affairs office chief Lt. Col. Enrico Gil Ileto said the exercise, which opened aboard the Australian ship HMAS Canberra, is meant to enhance interoperability between the two sides.
Prior to the opening, Ileto said Filipino and Australian troops had pre-exercise activities, called “force integration training,” in Australia from August 8 up to yesterday’s opening ceremony.
After yesterday’s event, Ileto said the HMAS Canberra sailed to the Philippines, marking the start of the field training exercise between Australian and Filipino troops under Exercise Alon, which will run until August 31.
Onboard the Australian vessel were 111 Filipino troops who earlier went to Australia for the pre-training activities and opening ceremony.
In the Philippines, Ileto said several field training exercises are lined up in the training areas of the Northern Luzon Command and Western Command, including Zambales, Tarlac, and Palawan.
He said a live fire exercise will be held at the Col. Ernesto Rabina Air Base in Tarlac on August 31. An air assault and amphibious landing are also scheduled in Palawan and Zambales, respectively.
Ileto said 700 Filipino troops and 1,200 Australian troops will be involved in the exercise. He said 150 troops from the United Marines Corps will also participate but will play a “support” role only.
“Exercise Alon 2023 is the first bilateral amphibious exercise between Australia and the Philippines,” said Ileto.
The conduct of Exercise Alon 2023 is part of Australia’s Indo-Pacific Endeavor (IPE) this year. The IPE seeks to strengthen Australia’s engagement and partnerships in Southeast Asian and Indian Ocean regions.
“The main objective of this exercise is to enhance interoperability and be able to share tactics, techniques and procedures, and best practices in the conduct of amphibious operations in the accomplishment of the PMC (Philippine Marine Corps) and AFP mission,” said Ileto.
Ileto said Exercise Alon will also help in enhancing “regional security through cooperation and partnership.
“It will further enhance interoperability and readiness to respond to shared security challenges. It will be an avenue for a shared commitment to a peaceful, prosperous, and resilient Indo-Pacific region,” added Ileto.
