New Logistics chief assumes post

By Zaida delos Reyes-Palanca
journal Online, Sunday, July 17, 2011

THE Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) has a new deputy chief of staff for Logistics, J4 in the person of former commander of the Naval Forces West (Nav-forwest) in Palawan Commodore Edgardo D. Tamayo.

In a simple turn-over ceremony held in the AFP Conference Room, Commo. Tamayo succeded Commo. Teddy O. Pan who will retire from his military service today, July 17.

In his speech, Tamayo asked the cooperation of the Logistics family and the support of the command in performing his responsibilities in the office.

“Sama-sama tayo at magtulungan para sa tamang proseso at pagtungo sa matuwid na daan,” Tamayo said.

Tamayo has been serving the Armed Forces for 31 years now since he joined the Philippine Navy after graduating from the Philippine Military Academy in 1980.

Before serving as the commander of the Navforwest, Tamayo served as the commander of Service Force Philippine Fleet (PHLFLT), the deputy commander of the Naval Forces Central located in Visayas, commander, Naval Task Force 71 in Eastern Mindanao, deputy commander of the Patrol Force PHLFLT, chief of staff of the Naval Sea Systems Command and commanding officer of five Commissioned Vessels the last of which was BRP Emilio Jacinto (PS-37).

Tamayo signified the importance of working together as one unit which shall share the same goal of fulfilling the mandate to protect the best interest of the Filipino nation while upholding a transparent and credible service in the military.

“Let me now profess on this spot, with all the officers enlisted personnel and civilian employees of the AFP and the logistic family, that we should all together pledge to dedicate and rededicate our unwavering commitment to work towards common purpose in order to accomplish our tasks,” Tamayo said.

“Individually, we cannot do much but collectively, we can do a lot and produce better results,” he added.

www.journal.com.ph

U.S., Philippine navies join for 17th CARAT Exercise in Palawan

By Ho'okele Staff
Pearl Harbor-Hickman News, Saturday, July 2, 2011

Armed Forces of the Philippines Navy Capt. Ronald Joseph S. Mercado, left, deputy commander of Naval Forces West, and U.S. Navy Capt. David Welch, commander of Task Group 73.1, greet Cmdr. Scott Erb, commanding officer of the guided-missile destroyer USS Chung-Hoon (DDG-93), as the ship arrives in Puerto Princesa to participate in Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) Philippines 2011

hookelenews.com

Civic Action project jumpstarts CARAT 2011

PIA, Friday, July 1, 2011

ISABELA CITY, Basilan, July 1 (PIA) -– An Engineering Civic Action Project (ENCAP) jumpstarts the annual joint training exercise of United States forces and the Philippine Navy dubbed as Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) 2011 in Palawan.

The 6th Civil Relations Group of the Armed Forces of the Philippines disclosed that an advance party of the United States naval contingent to participate in ENCAP at Barangay Mangingisda of Puerto Princesa City last week. The ENCAP was started a week earlier than the scheduled opening of the military exercise.

The American Navy personnel headed by Lt. Jun Pilon together with troops from the Naval Task Group Palawan (SEABEES) headed by Ens. Christian Carmona and Naval Forces West (NFW) started conducting excavation, site preparation and layout last June 22 in preparation for the construction of a social hall and comfort rooms in West Elementary School. The project is expected to be finished before the end of the CARAT 2011 Exercise.

CARAT 2011 is a ten-day joint naval tactical operation exercise between the forces of the Philippine and US navies mandated under the RP-US Mutual Defense Treaty. This year’s exercise will be held on the eastern waters of Puerto Princesa City, Palawan and in the Sulu Sea.

The annual joint military exercise, which is being held for more than 10 years now, aims to strengthen cooperation between the two naval forces in fighting intercontinental and trans-border crimes that includes piracy, smuggling, human trafficking and maritime crimes.

Aside from holding military exercise, several community service projects are also lined up as part of CARAT 2011. These include community relations, medical and dental and engineering civic actions in host communities.

The US Navy will be sending three of its naval ships for the joint military exercise: the USS Chung Hoon, USS Howard and USNS Safeguard. (6CRGAFP/RVC-PIA9 BaSulTa)

pia.gov.ph

PH Navy pilots board US warship for training

By Abigail Kwok
Interaksyon, Wednesday, June 29, 2011

PUERTO PRINCESA, Palawan -- Philippine Navy pilots boarded early on Wednesday morning a US warship docked off Sulu Sea, for training by American pilots in a joint exercise that entered its second day and is seen as heightening tensions arising from China’s warning to the United States to refrain from taking sides among claimants in the South China Sea, which Manila calls the West Philippine Sea.

US pilots on the USS Howard were very pleased with how Philippine soldiers performed during the exercise.

"They're very eager, very knowledgeable," said Lt. Commander Ron Martin, one of the US pilots.

The USS Howard is one of the three United States Navy warships docked here for the 11-day joint naval exercises with the Philippine Navy off Sulu Sea. Packed with anti-sub and anti-air capabilities, the USS Howard is definitely a force to reckon with, a stark contrast to the ageing naval warships of the Philippines.

Several journalists got a chance to tour the USS Howard, named after Medal of Honor awardee Gunnery Sergeant Jimmie Howard.

The US destroyer is the 33rd Arleigh Burke-class destroyer in the US Navy. It was commissioned only last October 20, 2001 and is docked in San Diego, California. The ship has over 200 crew members, including a few of Filipino descent.

The SH-60 Seahawk

On the flight deck of the US destroyer are two SH-60 Seahawk helicopters with anti-submarine capabilities. These can detect foreign submarines in the ocean through sound waves and acoustics and, once detected, they relay this information to the headquarters.

"Each submarine of each country has its own unique sound wave and we are able to detect that," Martin said.

The helicopters only have the ability to detect and not to destroy. Towards the tail of the helicopter, a magnetic detecting system is attached and can be unlatched up to 180 feet, which is mainly used to detect submarines. While these helicopters do not have an air defense capability, they have a built-in infrared system, self-defense maneuver system, and flair.

The USS Howard also has an Mk-45 5"/62 caliber lightweight gun, two Mk-41 VLS for Standard missiles and Tomahawk missiles, two 20mm Phalanx CIWS, two Mk-32 triple torpedo tubes for Mk-50 and Mk-46 torpedoes.

Philippines needs bulking up

The USS Howard is just one of the many US warships, something which the Philippines' own military sorely lacks. But while equipment and armament are definitely major issues to be addressed, the Philippine Navy believes it can make up for this through training and information sharing.

"It is our humble submission that ours is a military establishment that does not measure its vitality and its strength in terms of arms alone. Whatever deficiencies we may have in our equipment and supplies, it is our sheer resolve that we shall make up for such deficiencies through training," said Commodore Edgardo Tamayo of the Naval Forces West during the opening ceremonies of the joint naval exercises, called CARAT.

interaksyon.net

US, Philippine navies kick off 11-day joint exercise

By Xinhua

Philippine Star, Tuesday, June 28, 2011

MANILA, Philippines (Xinhua) - Navies from the United States and the Philippines kicked off an 11-day joint exercise this afternoon in waters off the southwestern Philippine island province of Palawan, showcasing the ties and interoperability between the two allies.

Dubbed the 17th "Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training" (CARAT), the exercise was held in the Sulu Sea east of Palawan and is expected to wind up on July 8, both navies said.

Guided missile destroyers USS Chung-Hoon, USS Howard and the diving and salvage ship USNS Safeguard are the US Navy's centerpieces for the exercise, US navy said earlier in a statement, adding that in addition to the three ships, other participants include P-3C Orion aircraft, SH-60 Seahawk aircraft, US Navy Seabees, a US Coast Guard Maritime Safety and Security Team, US Navy Mobile Security Squadron, US Navy Riverine Forces and Medical Support personnel.

On the Philippine side, patrol ships BRP Pangasinan and BRP Rizal are dedicated for the exercise, according to Lt. Noel Cadigal, spokesman of the Philippines' Naval Forces West.

The at-sea phase of the exercise focuses on developing maritime security capabilities in areas such as maritime interdiction, information sharing, combined operations at sea, patrol operations, gunnery exercises, as well as anti-piracy and anti-smuggling exercises.

Ashore training includes such specialties as Visit, Board, Search and Seizure (VBSS) exercises; diver training; salvage operations; joint medical, dental and civic action projects, aircrew familiarization exchanges, etc.

"The main purpose of the activity is to strengthen the ties and cooperation between the two navies by the exchange of knowledge and skills in the field of navigation and naval operations, particularly maritime defense, port security, resource protection and disaster response," said Philippine Navy spokesman Lt. Col. Omar Tonsay, noting the exercise is among the bilateral trainings conducted under the auspices of the Mutual Defense Treaty, which was signed between the Philippines and the United States in 1951.

In a statement issued prior to the exercise, New Patriotic Alliance, known as Bagong Alyansang Makabayan in Filipino, said the fact that the joint naval exercise will be between modern US warships and ageing Philippine patrol ships shows the entire concept of US military assistance is a failure.

However, the exercise and the Mutual Defense Treaty were bombarded by a left-wing group in the Philippines.

"After 60 years of the Mutual Defense Treaty, several decades of US military bases and 12 years of the Visiting Forces Agreement, our AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines) has not modernized. We were promised the same in exchange for approving all these one-sided agreements and yet here is our navy, still employing World War II- era ships," said Renato Reyes, Jr., secretary general of the New Patriotic Alliance.

philstar.com

US, Philippines to hold joint navy exercise

By Bong Garcia

Sun Star, Sunday, June 26, 2011

ALL is set for the holding of the 11-day joint Philippines and United States Navy exercise, a top Philippine Navy official announced Sunday.

The bilateral exercise dubbed as Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (Carat) 2011 will be held from June 28 until July 8, in Puerto Princesa City, Palawan and along the Sulu Sea.

The participants are the Naval Forces West (NFW) of the Philippine Navy (PN) based in Palawan and the Pacific Fleet of the United States Navy (USN).

NFW chief Commodore Edgardo Tamayo said the 11-day joint naval exercise is part of the Philippines-US Defense Treaty of 1951 that is being executed every year.

Tamayo said the main purpose of the activity is to strengthen the ties between the two Navies through exchanges of knowledge and skills in the field of navigation and naval operations, particularly maritime defense, port security, resource protection and disaster response.

Highlights of Carat 2011 are the personnel exchange between the two ships for the effective commutation of information between the PN and USN; friendship games; and PN-hosted and USN-hosted reception dinners to further strengthen the relationship between the two parties involved.

Civil Military Operations are also scheduled to reach out to the residents of Palawan, particularly Medical and Dental Civic Action at Barangay Tagabinet; Engineering Civic Action at Barangay Mangingisda Elementary School; and Community Relation Activity at Tagburos Elementary School and Gregorio Oquendo Memorial Elementary School.

Tamayo said that a community service and public affairs activity is also set in the form of free music lessons at Palawan State University Laboratory High School and Palawan National School.

To cap off the activity, Tamayo said the Philippine Marine Corps and the US 7th Fleet Band will hold a free band concert at the Puerto Princesa City Amphitheatre and at the NCCC Mall.

Tamayo said that members of the US Navy are also scheduled to visit the Puerto Princesa Underground River, the city’s biggest and most popular tourist destination.

“This is an opportunity for the Naval Forces West, the city of Puerto Princesa and the province of Palawan to showcase its beauty and its natural resources,” Tamayo said.

“The exercise will certainly prove its worth as all aspects of naval operations are being integrated as the two navies further their interoperability,” he added.

Tamayo added that he is confident that Carat Exercise 2011 in Puerto Princesa City will be a success.

sunstar.com.ph

PN-US SEACAT exercise 2011

Zamboanga Today, Friday, June 24, 2011

The Naval Forces Western Mindanao participated in the conduct of PN-USN exercise Southeast Asia Cooperation and Training (SEACAT 2011) together with other Naval Forces and Philippine Navy units in Mindanao area of operation from 14-24 June 2011 in the vicinity of Sulu Sea and Zamboanga Peninsula area of responsibility.

The purpose of the SEACAT 2011 training exercise is to give equal opportunity to both nations’ navies in dealing with maritime cooperation at sea. The exercise SEACAT is a scenario driven fleet training activity which focuses on real time information exchange, coordinated surveillance operations, tracking, and eventual conduct of actual vessel board search and seizure (VBSS) to the maritime contact of interest (COI). For this year, the exercise was conducted at the AORs of Naval Forces West, (NFW), Naval Forces Western Mindanao (NFWM), and Naval Forces Eastern Mindanao (NFEM) respectively. The activity also involved PN surface, air and special operations units in the conduct of surveillance, tracking, and boarding of the contact of interest (The USS Safeguard Ship). One maritime Interdiction operations (MIO) scenario was conducted at each Naval Forces area of operation. The Naval Task Force 61 under NFWM took part in the PN-USN exercise SEACAT2011 in the vicinity of NFWM AOR utilizing PN assets particularly PG 117, PG390, DF333 and Naval Special Operation Unit 6 personnel (SEAL Teams) upon arrival of the Contact of Interest (COI)at the designated boarding area specifically in Basilan Strait on 22 June 2011. Boarding opportunity during the exercise was conducted by one (1) SEAL team aboard their two (2) 11- meters (RHIBS) with PG390 as support vessel in the said scenario.Likewise, Coast Watch South Center and all available CWS stations of all Naval Forces West, Western Mindanao and Eastern Mindanaowere utilized in order to test their capabilities in surveillance, tracking, and communications and operations activities. The end state of the exercise SEACAT 2011 is to promote regional coordination, combined inter-operability and also enhance the Naval Forces Western Mindanao (NFWM) capabilities in its mandate to fight global terrorism, transnational crimes, and other maritime treats in the region as well. The exercise SEACAT 2011 was culminated after the completion of the visit, board, search and seizure (VBSS) and upon signal from NFWM Exercise Battle Staff aboard Naval Forces Western Mindanao Operation Center.

zamboangatoday.ph

Naval Forces Western Mindanao joins 6-nation exercise

Mindanews, Thursday, June 16, 2011

ZAMBOANGA CITY (MindaNews/15 June) – The Naval Forces Western Mindanao is participating in the 10-day annual Southeast Asia Cooperation and Training (SEACAT) that kicked off Tuesday, June 14.

A Philippine Navy official said the unit forms part of the Philippine contingent that joined the navy forces from Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and the United States Navy in the combined exercise aimed to enhance interoperability and share best practices.

Codenamed SEACAT 2011, it is being held in Malacca Strait, Sulu Sea and Celebes Sea and will end on Friday, June 24.

SEACAT 2011 exercise director Navy Captain Sebastian Pan said the other Philippine Navy contingents are from the Naval Forces West and Naval Forces Eastern Mindanao.

Pan said they will participate together with the U.S. Navy in a scenario-driven fleet training exercise against terrorism, transnational crimes and other maritime threats which focuses on real time information exchange, coordinated surveillance operations, tracking, and eventual conduct of Visit Board Search and Seizure (VBSS) to the maritime Contact of Interest (COI).

“This activity will involve surface, air, and special operations units in the conduct of surveillance, tracking, and boarding of the COI from the different participating navies within their respective maritime territories,” Pan said in a statement.

He said three ships from the NFWM, NFEM and NFW commands are participating in this year’s SEACAT 2011 exercise.

As practiced in the yearly SEACAT, Pan said that several ships from each participating Southeast Asian navy will join the training with the one U.S. Navy ship, USS Safeguard, designated as the COI for the participating Southeast Asian navies.

He said one maritime interdiction operations scenario with boarding opportunity will be conducted at the Sulu and Mindanao Seas.

He said the SEACAT exercise is a yearly combined exercise conducted at vital sea lanes in Southeast Asia to ensure control of vital sea lanes from terrorists, poachers, and transnational lawless elements.

“This exercise aims to promote regional coordination, information sharing and interoperability in a multilateral environment,” Pan said.

With this exercise, Pan said the Philippine Navy will be able to enhance regional coordination, information sharing, and combined inter-operability capability with participating navies in the region, test its personnel and naval assets operational readiness and ultimately, improve the defense capability of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

mindanews.com

Navy officer calls for tougher laws vs foreign poachers

By Ces Oreña Drilon

ABS-CBN news, Thursday, June 16, 2011

MANILA, Philippines - Tougher laws are needed to punish foreign fishermen who poach in Philippine waters, a Navy officer said on Thursday.

Commodore Edgardo Tamayo, head of the Naval Forces West, issued the statement after Vietnamese fishermen on board 7 boats were arrested just 2 nautical miles off Baragay Tamburok in Balabac, Palawan province last May 31.

Tamayo said under Republic Act 8550 or the Philippine Fisheries Code, foreign poachers can only be fined and deported.

He quoted the code's Section 87, which states: "The entry of any foreign fishing vessel in Philippine waters shall constitute a prima facie evidence that the vessel is engaged in fishing in Philippine waters.Violation of the above shall be punished by a fine of One Hundred Thousand U.S. Dollars (US$100,000.00), in addition to the confiscation of its catch, fishing equipment and fishing vessel: Provided, that the Department is empowered to impose an administrative fine of not less than Fifty Thousand U.S. Dollars (US$50,000.00) but not more than Two Hundred Thousand U.S. Dollars (US$200,000.00) or its equivalent in the Philippine Currency."

He added that the Navy also lacks enough ships and equipment to protect the country's vast territorial waters.

This could be alleviated by more than P11 billion allotted to modernize the Armed Forces within the next 3 years.

Around P8 billion in the fund will come from the Department of Energy that sourced the money from the government's earnings on oil extraction in the West Philippine Sea.

abs-cbnnews.com

Naval drill magpapatibay s arelasyon ng mga bansang umaangkin sa Sparatlys

Taliba, Thursday, June 16, 2011

NANINIWALA ang Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) na lalo pang lalakas ang ugnayan ng mga bansang sangkot sa West Philippine sea issue sa nagpapatuloy na combinednaval exercise sa bahagi ng Malacca strait, Sulu Sea at Celebes Sea.

Sa pahayag ni Exercise Director, Philippine Navy Captain Sebastian Pan, target umano ng 10-day Southeast Asia Cooperation and Training (SEACAT) ay ang pagpapatibay ng regional coordination, information sharing at inter-operability capability ng mga participating navies sa rehiyon. Kabilang sa mga kalahok sa ensayo na nagsimula kahapon ay Pilipinas, Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia at Thailand.

Ang mga nabanggit na bansa ay kabilang sa mga claimant-states sa pinag-aagawang teritoryo sa Spratly Islands.

Sa panig ng Pilipinas, kabilang sa mga kalahok sa training ay ang tatlong barko mula sa Naval Forces West (NFW) Naval Forces Eastern Mindanao (NFEM) at Naval Forces Western Mindanao (NFWM).

"This activity will involve surface, air, and special operations units in the conduct of surveillance, tracking nd boarding of the center of interest from the different participating navies within their respective maritime territories," pahayag ng opisyal.

Maliban sa nabanggit na mga bansa, kalahok din sa taunang naval training ang puwersang ng United States Navy.

Philippines pulls Spratlys ‘foreign’ posts

By Donna Pazzibugan

Philippine Daily Inquirer, Thursday, June 16,2011

The Philippine Navy removed “foreign” markers installed on three reefs and banks in disputed isles off Palawan in May and foiled an attempt last week to reestablish them, officials said on Wednesday.

Lt. Col. Omar Tonsay on Wednesday told Agence France-Presse that the removal of the wooden posts last month took place just before Manila protested the alleged incursions by the Chinese Navy into Philippine waters.

“These were foreign markers because they were not installed by our military or our government. So we dismantled the markers because they are part of Philippine territory,” the Philippine Navy spokesperson told the French news agency.

Manila has accused Beijing of putting posts and a buoy in Philippine waters, but Tonsay said the Navy had not been able to determine who placed the wooden posts.

“They did not have a ‘Made in China’ label or anything,” Tonsay said, adding the posts had only numbers on them.

The markers were on Iroquois (Amy Douglas) Bank, Recto (Reed) Bank and Boxall Reef, all in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea), he said.

“On June 5 again it was reported that our local fishermen found another marker,” said Commodore Edgardo Tamayo, commander of the Naval Forces West based in Palawan.

“I directed our patrol boat to check on the veracity of the report, and that was in Boxall Reef, only about 20 nautical miles [37 kilometers] away from Ayungin Shoal,” Tamayo said in a phone interview.

He said his forces had dismantled the marker on the reef, a Philippine Navy-occupied islet within the chain of islands that the Philippines collectively calls the Kalayaan Island Group. It is located 194 km (105 nautical miles) from mainland Palawan.

Defensive position

In Puerto Princesa City, Lt. Gen. Juancho Sabban told the Palawan provincial board that the Armed Forces of the Philippines would take a defensive position if challenged by China.

“We will fire only when fired upon. That is our rule of engagement,” the Western Command chief said on Tuesday, reacting to questions from board members about China’s reported plan to explore for oil in the region.

“In terms of military capability, we are very limited that is why we employ diplomatic means to resolve issues with China,” Sabban later told reporters.

The discovery of the marker in Boxall Reef came in the heels of the discovery on May 24 of steel posts, a buoy and other building materials laid out by Chinese vessels in Iroquois Reef, which the Philippines claims to be within its 370-km (200-nautical-mile) exclusive economic zone.

Manila filed a diplomatic protest over the Iroquois Reef incident, saying China “aggressively violated” the 2002 Declaration of Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea.

The 2002 nonbinding agreement signed by member states of the Association of South East Asian Nations (Asean) and China urges the claimant states to exercise restraint and avoid activities that might escalate tension, such as construction of military facilities and holding war games.

The Spratlys is claimed in whole or in part by six nations—the Philippines, China, Vietnam, Taiwan, Malaysia and Brunei.

No markings

Tamayo said Filipino fishermen saw activity in Boxall Reef during the first few days of June and then reported to the Navy on June 5 that they had spotted a marker.

“Our floating assets saw and confirmed the marker, the same marker that was found at Amy Douglas. That marker has the same description,” he said.

He said the marker was about 10 feet long and about four inches wide and likened it to a flat bar.

“This was confirmed to be found at the Boxall Reef,” he said, adding the marker was dismantled on June 6.

“We pulled out the marker to serve as evidence to prove that we saw that in that place,” Tamayo added.

“We did not see any markings that will tell us (it came from the) Chinese, (nor) any Chinese characters. So I surmise it is suspected from foreign origin. According to our informants, they suspect it to be Chinese because at that time they witnessed while it is being laid out,” he said.

Code of conduct

Tamayo said the Philippine Navy subscribed to the intention of the Declaration of Conduct to avoid any conflict.

“Personally I should say that following the intention of the conduct, supposedly we should be on status quo, meaning to say that we avoid putting up any particular structures like markers that would raise tension or raise conflict. That was the intention of the code of conduct.

A spokesperson at the Department of Foreign Affairs declined to comment on the naval action, but Malacañang was heaving a sigh of relief following a statement by Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Hong Lei that Beijing did not intend to use force in the Spratlys controversy.

“It is something that we will certainly welcome so at least we have in the region an assurance that no use of force will be necessary to resolve the situation here,” presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda told reporters.

newsinfo.inquirer.net

US leads Asean war games in Sulu, Palawan

By Donna Pazzibugan
Philippine Daily Inquirer, Wednesday, June 15, 2011

A US-led naval exercise in the Sulu Sea involving the Philippines and five other members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) began on Tuesday.

In the next 10 days, combined naval units from the Philippines, Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and the United States will be in the Sulu Sea, Malacca Strait and Celebes Sea.

The naval exercise will be followed by another naval training exercise between the Philippines and the United States in the Sulu Sea. The Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (Carat) exercise from June 28 to July 8 will be held in the waters east of Palawan.

Dubbed the Southeast Asia Cooperation and Training (Seacat), the annual maritime exercise initiated by the United States covers training against terrorism, transnational crimes “and other maritime threats.”

A Philippine Navy spokesperson said the naval exercises had been arranged before fresh tension broke out between the Philippines and China over the disputed Spratly islands.

Asset reinforcement

The exercise coincided with a visit by Philippine Navy chief Vice Adm. Alexander Pama at the Naval Forces West in Palawan, his first since assuming office in January. It came as the military was reinforcing its naval and air assets in the West Philippine Sea.

The Navy spokesperson, Lt. Col. Omar Tonsay, said Pama toured Naval Station Apolinario Jalandoon, headquarters of the Naval Forces West, as well as the Oyster Bay detachment at Naval Station Carlito Cunanan in Ulugan Point, Macarascas, Puerto Princesa City.

Pama also paid a courtesy call on the Armed Forces of the Philippines Western Command commander, Lt. Gen. Juancho Sabban, who is based in Puerto Princesa.

The BRP Gregorio Del Pilar, acquired from the US Coast Guard and due to arrive in August, will be stationed at Naval Station Carlito Cunanan, 260 kilometers (140 nautical miles) from Recto Bank (Reed Bank) facing the West Philippine Sea.

Capt. Sebastian Pan, Philippine exercise director, said three Philippine Navy ships would participate in this year’s Seacat exercise. The USS Safeguard, a rescue and salvage ship, was designated as “contact of interest,” or COI.

Special operations

“This activity will involve surface, air, and special operations units in the conduct of surveillance, tracking, and boarding of the COI from the different participating navies within their respective maritime territories,” Pan said.

He said maritime interdiction operations with boarding opportunity would be conducted in the Sulu and Mindanao Seas.

The Coast Watch stations of the participating naval forces will be utilized to exercise their capabilities in surveillance, tracking, communications and operations.

The annual Seacat exercise is conducted to protect vital sea lanes in Southeast Asia from terrorists, poachers and transnational lawless elements.

The exercise aims to promote “regional coordination, information sharing and interoperability in a multilateral environment.”

Venues are determined in advance in planning sessions with participating navies.

newsinfo.inquirer.net

Southeast Asian, US naval forces conduct joint training exercises

By Abigail Kwok

Interaksyon, Wednesday, June 15, 2011

MANILA, Philippines - Naval forces from various Southeast Asian countries and the United States are holding joint combined exercises in a bid to improve interoperability and share best practices.

The Philippine Navy has joined the respective navy forces of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and the United States for the annual Southeast Asia Cooperation and Training (SEACAT) exercises that will be held from June 14 to 24 in the Malacca Strait, Sulu Sea and Celebes Sea. In a statement Tuesday, the Philippine Navy said its units from the Naval Forces West (NFW), Naval Forces Eastern Mindanao (NFEM), and Naval Forces Western Mindanao (NFWM) will participate in scenario-driven fleet training exercises against terrorism, transnational crimes and other maritime threats.“Three ships from the three Naval forces of the Philippine Navy will participate in this year’s exercise,” said Navy Captain Sebastian Pan.SEACAT is a yearly combined exercise conducted along vital sea lanes in Southeast Asia to ensure their control from terrorists, poachers, and transnational lawless elements."With this training, the Philippine Navy will be able to enhance regional coordination, information sharing, and combined inter-operability capability with participating navies in the region, test its personnel and naval assets' operational readiness and ultimately, improve the defense capability of the Armed Forces of the Philippines," the Philippine Navy said.

interaksyon.com