The 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit and Marine Rotational Force – Southeast Asia began exercise KAMANDAG 8 with the Philippines Marine Corps Wednesday after wrapping up disaster relief efforts nearly a week ago.
MRF-SEA, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing (MAW); III Marine Expeditionary Force (MEF); and the 15th MEU embarked on amphibious assault ship USS Boxer (LHD-4) concluded six days of foreign disaster relief efforts in the Philippines, supporting the U.S. Agency for International Development’s humanitarian response to Typhoon Krathon at the request of the Philippine government, on Oct. 10, according to a Tuesday Marine Corps release.
The Marines delivered nearly 96,000 pounds of foreign disaster relief supplies to Batan Island, one of the locations most impacted by Krathon, according to the relief.
MRF-SEA first arrived in the Philippines in late September to participate in upcoming training exercises with the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP). MRF-SEA operated out of Fort Bonifacio, Philippines, and coordinated with the U.S. Department of State, USAID, the AFP, and other U.S. Marine Corps units to plan support for the relief effort. Two teams of Marines and Sailors from MRF-SEA integrated with USAID and AFP personnel in Manila and Laoag to plan and prepare for the arrival of KC-130J Super Hercules aircraft from 1st MAW in Okinawa, Japan, and personnel from 3rd Marine Logistics Group, according to the release.
“Before Marine Corps aircraft ever touched down in the Philippines, Marines and Sailors with MRF-SEA were integrated with our partners in the U.S. and Philippine governments, on site at Villamor Air Base and Laoag International Airport, with the manpower and heavy equipment needed to package and move aid material,” said Col. Stuart Glenn, commanding officer, MRF-SEA in the release. “Forward-deployed Marine Corps forces allow us to quickly respond to humanitarian missions because we’re already in the region. I am extremely proud that our team was able to set the necessary conditions to quickly provide relief to the Philippine people.”
The KC-130s arrived on Oct. 5 loaded with supplies at Villamor Air Base near Manila before flying to Laoag International Airport in northern Luzon for staging and preparation. The KC-130 crews conducted 26.2 hours of flight operations and successfully transported all aid materials to Laoag, according to the release.
The supplies at Laoag were then transported to Batan with the arrival.
MV-22B Ospreys of Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron (VMM) 165 (Reinforced), embarked on Boxer, arrived at Laoag and began operations on Oct. 8 with combined teams from the 15th MEU, MRF-SEA and Philippine Marines spending the next three days loading Ospreys with disaster relief supplies for the final leg of the movement to Basco Airport on Batan Island.
Pilots and aircrews from VMM-165 (Rein.) conducted more than 55 flights and successfully delivered the final disaster relief material on Oct. 10, according to the release.
“The primary focus of our mission is helping the people of the Philippines recover as quickly and safely as possible,” said Col. Sean Dynan, commanding officer, 15th MEU in the release. “Humanitarian assistance in an expeditionary environment is what we train to do, and it is one of the reasons we are forward-deployed as an amphibious force.”
MRF-SEA, 15th MEU and the Philippines Marine Corps (PMC) began KAMANDAG 8, a bilateral exercise scheduled from Tuesday until Oct. 25, according to a Tuesday release.
“Conducted under the annual Mutual Defense Board and Security Engagement Board (MDB-SEB) activities for 2024, the exercise aims to strengthen the interoperability of participating nations while promoting regional security and cooperation within the Indo-Pacific region,” reads the release.
This year’s exercise is designed to enhance combined operational proficiency in key areas such as combat medicine, coastal defense, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, engineering, and chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) response and will feature participants from several allied and partner nations, according to the release.
Some 2,300 personnel will take part in the drills with more than 1,000 Marines and Sailors from MRF-SEA and the 15th MEU training alongside over 1,100 personnel from the PMC and Philippine National Police. Service members from the Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force, Republic of Korea Marine Corps, British Armed Forces, Australian Defense Force and French Armed Forces will also participate while members of the Royal Thai Marine Corps and Indonesian Marine Corps are in-country to observe the exercise, according to the release.
JGSDF personnel include those from the Amphibious Rapid Deployment Brigade (ARDB), Central NBC (Nuclear, Biological, Chemical) Weapons Unit and the Medical Countermeasure Unit, a Oct. 7 Japan Ground Self Defense Force (JGSDF) release. The JGSDF in the exercise will carry out expert exchanges on island coastal defense and views on joint anti-ship combat.
Training will take place across the Philippines in Northern Luzon, Central Luzon, the National Capital Region, Cavite and Palawan.
“KAMANDAG serves as a testament to the enduring and ironclad alliance our nations share. We will enhance our interoperability, strengthen our collective defense, and build personal friendships,” said Col. Stuart Glenn, commanding officer, MRF-SEA in the Marine Corps release. “Through our efforts, we reaffirm our mutual commitment to regional security as we face the ever-evolving security environment that threatens a free and open Indo-Pacific.”
