By SDCN Editor
Manila, Philippines–The U.S. Marine Corps, including personnel from Marine Rotational Force – Southeast Asia (MRF-SEA) and the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit (15th MEU), and the Philippine Marine Corps (PMC) have begun Kamandag 8, a bilateral exercise scheduled from Oct. 15 to 25.
Under the annual Mutual Defense Board and Security Engagement Board (MDB-SEB) activities for 2024, the exercise aims to strengthen the interoperability of participating nations while promoting regional security and cooperation within the Indo-Pacific region.
Kamandag 8 is designed to enhance combined operational proficiency in key areas such as combat medicine; coastal defense; humanitarian assistance and disaster relief; engineering; and chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear response. This year’s exercise will feature participants from several allied and partner nations, fostering deeper international military cooperation and readiness.
“Kamandag serves as a testament to the enduring and ironclad alliance our nations share. We will enhance our interoperability, strengthen our collective defense, and build personal friendships,” said Col. Stuart Glenn, commanding officer, MRF-SEA. “Through our efforts, we reaffirm our mutual commitment to regional security as we face the ever-evolving security environment that threatens a free and open Indo-Pacific.”
The estimated total number of exercise participants is over 2,300 personnel. More than 1,000 Marines and Sailors from MRF-SEA and the 15th MEU will train alongside over 1,100 personnel from the PMC and Philippine National Police. Service members from the Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force, Republic of Korea Marine Corps, British Armed Forces, Australian Defense Force, and French Armed Forces constitute the remainder of the participants. Members of the Royal Thai Marine Corps and Indonesian Marine Corps are in-country to observe the exercise. Training will be held across the Philippines in Northern Luzon, Central Luzon, the National Capital Region, Cavite, and Palawan.
Kamandag is an annual PMC and U.S. Marine Corps-led exercise aimed at enhancing the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ defense and humanitarian capabilities by providing valuable training in combined operations with foreign militaries in the advancement of a Free and Open Indo-Pacific. This year marks the eighth iteration of exercise Kamandag.
MRF-SEA is a rotational unit derived from elements of I Marine Expeditionary Force (I MEF) executing a U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Pacific operational model that involves training events and exchanges with partner military subject matter experts, promotes security goals with Allied and partner nations, and ensures a persistent I MEF presence west of the International Date Line.
The 15th MEU is a forward-deployed, flexible crisis response force, embarked aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Boxer (LHD 4), capable of conducting amphibious operations, crisis response, and limited contingency operations to support the requirements of geographic combatant commanders.
