MANILA, Philippines- Gumamit ang Filipino at American troops nitong Lunes ng ilang high-powered weapon systems sa isang counter landing live fire exercise na isinagawa sa La Paz Sand Dunes sa Laoag City, Ilocos Norte bilang parte ng taunang Balikatan.
Halos 200 tauhan ng Philippine Army, Philippine Marine Corps, United States Army at US Marine Corps ang nagsanay sa kunwaring invasion attempt ng dayuhang bansa sa dalampasigan ng Laoag City.
Iginiit ni US I Marine Expeditionary Force commanding general Lt. Gen. Michael Cederholm na layunin ng pagsasanay na paghusayin ang kooperasyon ng Philippine at US forces at hindi nakadirekta sa partikular na kaaway.
“We don’t do this for messaging. We do this to create interoperability, readiness and integration of capabilities of command and control, sense the battlespace, deploy fires, all those things. So, there’s no significance to this location… The location was just perfect for the interoperability and sensing we wanted to test, and the sea control and securing and defending of key maritime terrain we wanted to do,” pahayag ni Cederholm sa Ilocos Norte.
“I would like to thank the support of the local government — our governor here in Ilocos Norte — for the support for the exercise that we have. The exercise is already an assurance that we improve the capability of our AFP so we can better serve the people and better protect the people. Without the training, expertise and specialization that we gain in the training, we cannot perform effectively or efficiently,” wika naman ni Balikatan 2024 Exercise Director Maj. Gen. Marvin Licudine.
Sa pagtatapos ng gawain ay napalubog ng dalawang pwersa ang limang floating targets, na kumatawan sa amphibious assault vehicles.
“What you saw out there today is to deter amphibious landing. Balikatan is focused on everything: from key maritime terrain, both the taking and the defense of that, to maritime strikes and to conducting sea control,” ani Cederholm.
“Completely satisfied. We have continued future opportunities to grow and improve our readiness and interoperability,” patuloy niya.
Binanggit ni Cederholm na ang pagsasanay ay “to prepare for the worst” sa pamamagitan ng “securing key maritime terrain.”
“It’s designed to repel an invasion,” ayon sa opisyal. “Balikatan centers around besides those traits I talked about—transparency, respect to sovereignty, seeking peaceful resolution—being prepared for the worst.”
“We’re always ready, and we train every day to be ready. That’s our mantra. I know that as the AFP transitions into a modernized… they’re ready to go every day. We just get stronger through integration and training. So, a short answer to your question: Are we ready? Yes, ma’am,” dagdag niya.
Magtatapos ang Balikatan sa isang maritime strike sa Miyerkues, kung saan palulubugin ng pinagsanib na pwersa ng Pilipinas at ng US ang decommissioned Philippine Navy ship BRP Caliraya sa West Philippine Sea. RNT/SA
