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(L to R) Gen. Narciso Abaya, Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Chief of Staff; U.S. Chargé d’Affaires Joseph Mussomeli; and U.S. Marine Brig. Gen. Kenneth J. Glueck Jr., Commanding General, 3rd Marine Expeditionary Brigade, answer questions from the press about the exercise.
Photo by LCpl. Thomas D. Hudzinski, USMC |
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Commenting on the exercise, U.S. Chargé d’ Affaires Joseph Mussomeli said, “BALIKATAN 2004, as we all know, reflects the long-standing, close relationship between the Philippines and the United States, two peoples deeply-rooted in shared history and values with the shared commitment to global peace, security, and prosperity. Any job is easier when partners and friends work together as we will during the next few weeks.”
The first phase of this three-phase exercise involved a combined task force seminar and command post exercise. Scenarios helped test and evaluate the Combined Task Force headquarters’ staff on crisis action planning and course of action development at the operational level.
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Exercise co-directors, AFP Brig. Gen. Rafael S. Romero, Assistant Chief of Staff for Education and Training, and U.S. Marine Brig. Gen. Glueck Jr., unfurl the Mutual Defense Board Flag during the opening ceremony of Exercise BALIKATAN 2004
Photo by LCpl. Thomas D. Hudzinski, USMC |
Phase two took place in various training areas in Central Luzon, including Clark Air Base in Pampanga, Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija, and Marine Base Ternate in Cavite. This phase included cross training and field training exercises to improve interoperability.
Phase three involved medical, dental, veterinary, and engineering civic action projects. These projects were carried out in Puerto Princesa, Palawan, and Basco, Batanes.
Friendship Parachute Jump
AFP members and U.S. Marines soared through the skies in a “Friendship Jump” above Fort Magsaysay. Leaping from a CH-53 “Sea Stallion” helicopter, even the toughest had second thoughts. “When you stand up, that’s when you start getting nervous and everything starts getting really loud. Once the chute opens, you have about a minute of peace, and then you look at the ground to set up for a good landing,” said U.S. Marine Cpl. Patrick R. Dolphin.
“This jump was practice for a night combat equipment jump,” noted U.S. Marine Sgt. Jason A. Johnson. “If we do a real jump, we would do it at night with a full combat load.” He also noted, “A lot of AFP knowledge comes from real combat situations. We’ll jump in as a platoon and patrol as individual units to our objectives.”
The “Friendship Jump” is important for ensuring standard operating procedures are in order, because reconnaissance forces need to be highly mobile and readily available. AFP and U.S. Marines checked each other to make sure all the straps and cords were correctly fastened and secure – just what friends do to make sure everyone comes back safe. By training with and learning from the experienced combat veterans of the AFP, the U.S. Marines gained new knowledge and built new friendships between the countries’ military personnel.
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