Philippines, US Marines begin KAMANDAG drills to enhance cooperation

The Philippine Marine Corps (PMC) and the United States Marine Corps (USMC) commenced on Monday, June 15, the 10th Kaagapay ng mga Mandirigma Mula Sa Dagat (KAMANDAG) Exercise, which seeks to boost interoperability of Manila and Washington and other allied countries.

An opening ceremony was held at the Marine Barracks Rudiardo Brown in Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City.

The Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) and the Republic of Korea Marine Corps (ROKMC) will also join this year’s KAMANDAG 10-26 exercises. Meanwhile, representatives from Australia, Bahrain, Canada, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, and Thailand are participating as observers.

“Readiness is not merely an option; it is a responsibility. Cooperation is not a convenience; it is a necessity. And interoperability is not an aspiration; it is an operational imperative,” said Brigadier General Bob Apostol PN(M), Exercise Director of KAMANDAG 10-2026.

The exercises will be conducted in various training locations in Northern Luzon, Central Luzon, Palawan, Tawi-Tawi, Manila, and Cavite.

The drills will focus on maritime key terrain Security operations, maritime strike, counterlanding, airfield seizure/defense, island seizure/defense, seaborne maneuver, amphibious raid, boat raid and seizure, military free fall, and close air support.

“Over the coming weeks, across dispersed nodes from Northern Luzon down to Palawan and Tawi-Tawi, we will focus our combined readiness on what matters most: territorial defense, coastal defense operations, and seamless interoperability,” said U.S. Marine Corps Colonel George Flynn, Commanding Officer of Marine Rotational Force - Darwin 26. –NB, GMA News