1,200 US troops arrive in Subic Bay Olongapo for war games
SUBIC BAY FREEPORT-Five American vessels carrying more than 1,200 American sailors docked at the Alava Pier here on Tuesday for a new round of marine exercises with their Filipino counterparts.
The American sailors will embark on this year's combined naval tactical operations exercise called Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (Carat) 2005.
The US contingent arrived on board the USS Harpers Ferry, the guided missile destroyer USS Paul Hamilton, the guided missile frigate USS Rodney Davis and the rescue and salvage ship USS Safeguard.
Commodore Octavio Pabuayon, Carat exercise director, said the training would involve at least 1,200 Filipino troopers and five ships.
Pabuayon said the week-long training, which would be held in various training sites in Manila, Zambales and Palawan, would end on Aug. 23.
Rear Adm. Kevin Quinn, commander of the United States Logistics Group Western Pacific, said the exercise would be an opportunity for both countries to train their navy personnel to develop skills in countering seaborne terrorism threats, maritime piracy and sea robbery.
"There is a significant amount of threat to regional maritime security throughout Southeast Asia. And the most visible kind is the threat of piracy," Quinn said during the opening ceremony of Carat '05 here on Tuesday.
This year's training is focused on addressing emerging threats and includes traditional maritime exercises such as maneuvering and communication, command and control, and diving and salvage activities, he said.
Rear Adm. Alfredo Abueg Jr., Philippine Fleet commander, said with the help of the US Navy, "we are starting to see the upgrading of our equipment."
He said the exercise aims to enhance cooperation between the United States and the Philippines and to strengthen both naval forces.
"This series of Carat bilateral exercises is not only held in the Philippines but also in other Asian countries which support regional stability in Southeast Asia," Abueg told reporters here.
Although the exercises will be held in various training sites outside Central Luzon, including the Sulu Sea, Abueg said that US contingent would not be engaged in conflict in parts of Mindanao.
"We don't want the Americans to get involved in our internal security operations. The problem we are having there in the South is purely internal security operation and the one we are having now with the Americans is specifically for external defense," Abueg said
The American sailors will embark on this year's combined naval tactical operations exercise called Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (Carat) 2005.
The US contingent arrived on board the USS Harpers Ferry, the guided missile destroyer USS Paul Hamilton, the guided missile frigate USS Rodney Davis and the rescue and salvage ship USS Safeguard.
Commodore Octavio Pabuayon, Carat exercise director, said the training would involve at least 1,200 Filipino troopers and five ships.
Pabuayon said the week-long training, which would be held in various training sites in Manila, Zambales and Palawan, would end on Aug. 23.
Rear Adm. Kevin Quinn, commander of the United States Logistics Group Western Pacific, said the exercise would be an opportunity for both countries to train their navy personnel to develop skills in countering seaborne terrorism threats, maritime piracy and sea robbery.
"There is a significant amount of threat to regional maritime security throughout Southeast Asia. And the most visible kind is the threat of piracy," Quinn said during the opening ceremony of Carat '05 here on Tuesday.
This year's training is focused on addressing emerging threats and includes traditional maritime exercises such as maneuvering and communication, command and control, and diving and salvage activities, he said.
Rear Adm. Alfredo Abueg Jr., Philippine Fleet commander, said with the help of the US Navy, "we are starting to see the upgrading of our equipment."
He said the exercise aims to enhance cooperation between the United States and the Philippines and to strengthen both naval forces.
"This series of Carat bilateral exercises is not only held in the Philippines but also in other Asian countries which support regional stability in Southeast Asia," Abueg told reporters here.
Although the exercises will be held in various training sites outside Central Luzon, including the Sulu Sea, Abueg said that US contingent would not be engaged in conflict in parts of Mindanao.
"We don't want the Americans to get involved in our internal security operations. The problem we are having there in the South is purely internal security operation and the one we are having now with the Americans is specifically for external defense," Abueg said
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