Sunday, September 14, 2003
Joint RP-US military exercise set next week
By Miko Santos
ONE thousand five hundred United States Marines are scheduled to arrive Sunday in Subic Bay to participate in an eight-day joint amphibious ready-group exercise, a military spokesperson announced Saturday.
The operation will be dubbed "Argex-03," said Lt. Col. Daniel Lucero, public information chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
Approximately 1,500 U.S. troops from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit and 600 members of the Philippine Navy will take part in the September 14 to 21 war games throughout Luzon, Lucero said.
Lucero added the U.S. participants from Okinawa, Japan, will arrive on board three ships.
Argex-03, Lucero said, is approved under the RP-US Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT), which was signed by both countries in 1945.
"It is a follow-up on the successful accomplishment of the RP-US Marine Interoperability Exercise held early this year," said Lucero.
Lucero added that Argex-03 is an expression of the commitment of both countries under the MDT and the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA), signed in 1999.
The bilateral exercise, which includes amphibious landings and live-fire training, "will enhance the readiness and inter-operability of U.S. and Philippine military forces," added Lucero.
Aside from these, Lucero said, personnel from both countries will also conduct civil assistance operations such as medical, dental, and engineering activities.
Venues for the exercise will be Subic Bay; Clark Air Base; Fort Magsaysay; and Cavite, just outside Manila.
(September 14, 2003 issue)
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