Marcos witnesses...

PAGE 1 PAGE 1 involving the sinking of an old Philippines Navy ship, hoping the country could benefit from enhanced cooperation with the United States,” Presidential Communications Secretary Cheloy Garafil said in a statement.

During the drills some 2.8 kilometers from the Naval Education Training Doctrine Command, Garafil said U.S. and Philippine combat units participated in a combined joint littoral live-fire exercise, culminating the field training event for Balikatan 2023.

Approximately 1,400 Marines, soldiers, sailors, airmen and Coast Guardsmen from both countries took part in the Combined Joint Littoral Live Fire Exercise, which involved detecting, identifying, targeting and engaging a target ship using a variety of ground and air-based weapons systems, Garafil said.

The exercise featured U.S. and Philippine weapons platforms delivering coordinated fires on a target ship, a decommissioned Philippine Navy corvette towed into Philippine territorial waters, she added.

Among key Philippine officials who attended were Armed Forces Chief Andres Centino, National Security Adviser Eduardo Año, Zambales 2nd District Rep. Doris Maniquiz and Zambales Gov. Hermogenes Ebdane Jr.

From the U.S. side, the attendees were U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines MaryKay Carlson, U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for South and Southeast Asia Lindsey Ford, and U.S. Exercise Director Lt. Gen. William Jurney.

“The Philippines is a key U.S. ally and the largest recipient of U.S. military assistance, equipment, and training in the region,” Garafil said. n