00:00Commandant Exercise 2024 is now in progress.
00:03It will strengthen the disaster response and maintain regional security in the Indo-Pacific region.
00:09Patrick Desus has the details.
00:14I hereby declare the Commandant 08-24 open effective this day.
00:24The U.S. Marines and Philippine Marine Corps will train for more than a week
00:29under the auspices of the Marines in the Sea or Commandant Exercises 2024.
00:36This is the eighth time of the so-called training that is bigger this year
00:42and will be led by more than 2,000 participants.
00:45This includes the Australian Defense Force, British Armed Forces,
00:50Japan Ground Self-Defense Force, and Republic of Korea Marine Corps.
00:55The observers will be France, Thailand, and Indonesia.
01:02The Commandant Exercises will focus on disaster response
01:07and maintain regional security in the Indo-Pacific region.
01:12The Commandant Exercises will be held in Palawan, Central Luzon,
01:15even in Ilocos Norte and Matanes in northern Luzon
01:20where there will be live fire drills.
01:23Recently, the People's Liberation Army of China conducted military drills
01:29in the vicinity of Taiwan.
01:31In the midst of this, the Commandant Exercises had nothing to do
01:35with geopolitical situations and did not show strength.
01:41This exercise basically focuses on our main objective
01:47which is to foster good relations, to enhance interoperability,
01:57and of course to strengthen our ties with our partner nations.
02:03And so this exercise, regardless of what's going on geopolitically,
02:08is going to happen and it's to benefit really the Philippine Marine Corps,
02:12our partners and allies in the region to come together to get better,
02:17to respond to anything such as humanitarian crisis.
02:22Even so, one of the scenarios is the evacuation,
02:26like the Filipinos in Taiwan, if necessary.
02:30Any crisis occurring in Taiwan
02:34would involve our concern to our OFWs in Taiwan.
02:41And I think it's more of preparing our forces
02:48whenever there will be repatriation of our OFWs.
02:53We are not exercising to join the fight
03:00if there will be any fight in that part of the region.
03:03In the expansion of more countries,
03:05which will show the established interoperability in the Commandant Exercises
03:10and other exercises that will continue to improve,
03:14aside from the Philippine Marines,
03:16the Philippine Coast Guard and PNP will also expand.
03:20Patrick de Azuz for Pambansang TV in Bagong, Philippines.
