US Marines officer sees very bright future for Philippine Marine Corps, Philippine Navy

From the Philippine News Agency (Oct 5): US Marines officer sees very bright future for Philippine Marine Corps, Philippine Navy

The future of the Philippine Marine Corps along with the Philippine Navy is very bright as proven by its acquisition of its amphibious ships and landing craft.

This was observed by US 3rd Marine Expeditionary Brigade commander Brig. Gen. John Jansen during the opening of the 33rd iteration of the Philippine Amphibious Landing Exercise (PHIBLEX) Tuesday.

"And as we move into the future, the Philippine Marine Corps along with the Philippine Navy are building new capabilities to make this training even more relevant. With the recent acquisition of the amphibious ship the BRP Tarlac, the future acquisition of its sister ship the BRP Davao Del Sur, and the acquisition of new Amphibious Assault Vehicle (AAVs), the Philippines Navy-Marine Corps team will be even more capable to respond to any event from the sea," he added.

PHIBLEX opened Tuesday and will end on October 12. Around 1,400 American military personnel and 500 Filipino troops will participate in the eight-day maneuvers which will take place in Luzon and Palawan.

"An example from our experience, AAVs were integral to reaching flooded areas in response to Hurricane Katrina. This critical capability is one that the Philippine Marine Corps can use to serve its own citizens during natural disasters," Jansen pointed out.

"Each event flexes a different muscle in the machines that make up our unique military forces. The closer we come to mastering amphibious capabilities together, the better prepared we will be to combat any threat that may present itself," he further said.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=928748