KAMANDAG 10 bolsters joint readiness, alliance integration across the Philippines

FORT BONIFACIO, Philippines — More than 2,000 service members from the Philippines, the United States, Japan, and the Republic of Korea commenced Exercise Kaagapay ng mga Mandirigma ng Dagat (KAMANDAG) 10 on June 15, with training across the Philippine archipelago aimed at demonstrating combined readiness and interoperability.

The premier annual exercise between the Philippine Marine Corps and U.S. Marine Corps runs from June 15 to July 1 and is designed as a multi-domain, joint and combined event to enhance maritime security, strengthen interoperability, improve contested logistics capabilities, and increase combined readiness. Training is taking place across Northern Luzon, Central Luzon, Palawan, Tawi-Tawi, Cavite and Metro Manila.

This year’s iteration features forces from the Philippine Marine Corps, U.S. Marine Corps, Japan Ground Self-Defense Force and Republic of Korea Marine Corps, with observers from Australia, Bahrain, Canada, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain and Thailand. Marking the 75th anniversary of the U.S.-Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty, the exercise emphasizes realistic training to strengthen operational integration and improve the ability of participating forces to respond together during crises, contingencies and humanitarian disasters.

Planned events include maritime key terrain security operations, maritime strike activities, counter-landing operations, airfield seizure and defense, island seizure and defense, seaborne maneuver, amphibious raids, military free-fall operations, close air support integration, and subject matter expert exchanges.

“Exercise KAMANDAG marks its 10th iteration, evolving from bilateral engagement into a premier multinational platform built on trust, cooperation, and collective resolve,” said Brig. Gen. Bob R. Apostol, Philippine Navy (Marine), exercise director for KAMANDAG 10. “This exercise advances shared goals by strengthening capabilities, deepening relationships, and reaffirming a unified commitment to peace, stability, and collective security.”

“Readiness is not merely an option; it is a responsibility. Cooperation is not a convenience; it is a necessity. And interoperability is not an aspiration; it is an operational imperative,” Apostol added.

Col. George J. Flynn III, commanding officer of Marine Rotational Force – Darwin, underscored support for Philippine defense priorities and the focus on combined readiness. “Operating collectively alongside Philippine Marine Corps brothers and sisters, we are here to directly support the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ and its Comprehensive Archipelagic Defense Concept.” He added, “Over the coming weeks, across dispersed nodes from Northern Luzon down to Palawan and Tawi-Tawi, we will focus our combined readiness on what matters most: territorial defense, coastal defense operations, and interoperability.”

KAMANDAG 10 brings together forward-deployed Marine forces from Marine Rotational Force – Southeast Asia, Marine Rotational Force – Darwin and 3rd Marine Littoral Regiment with Philippine and multinational partners to conduct realistic training in maritime and expeditionary environments.

“KAMANDAG 10 is an incredible opportunity for 3rd MLR to train in realistic and operationally relevant environments with our allies and partners,” said Col. Gabriel L. Diana, commanding officer, 3rd Marine Littoral Regiment, 3rd Marine Division. “Together with our Philippine counterparts and alongside capable formations like MRF-SEA and MRF-D, KAMANDAG 10 will demonstrate our combined ability to build and sustain readiness and interoperability across complex maritime terrain.”

“As the United States and the Philippines commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Mutual Defense Treaty, KAMANDAG 10 reflects the continued evolution of our alliance from partnership to operational integration,” said Col. Robert S. Bunn, commanding officer, Marine Rotational Force – Southeast Asia. “Training shoulder-to-shoulder alongside our Philippine Marine Corps counterparts strengthens interoperability, supports the Armed Forces of the Philippines modernization efforts and Comprehensive Archipelagic Defense Concept, and ensures our forces remain forward, ready and responsive to shared challenges throughout the Indo-Pacific.”

Throughout the exercise, Marine Rotational Force – Southeast Asia, I Marine Expeditionary Force’s forward command element in the Philippines, is integrating with the Philippine Marine Corps, Marine Rotational Force – Darwin and 3rd Marine Littoral Regiment across multiple locations. Organizers say the effort is intended to bolster interoperability and the ability to conduct combined operations across the archipelago while underscoring the durability of alliance cooperation at a milestone anniversary.