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Indo-Pacific partners reinforce readiness amid regional threats

FORUM Staff

Simultaneous military exercises involving longtime allies and partners Japan, the Philippines, South Korea and the United States took place in October 2022 amid aggressive moves by the People’s Republic of China (PRC) in the South China Sea and Taiwan Strait, and by North Korea in the Sea of Japan and Pacific Ocean.

Resolute Dragon 22 in Hokkaido, Japan, and Kamandag 6 in Luzon, Batanes and Palawan in the Philippines brought together more than 5,500 troops and observers during the first half of the month. The exercises improved interoperability and prepared the combined forces for regional challenges, including providing coastal defense and humanitarian aid.

Resolute Dragon 22 lasted two weeks and involved 1,400 Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) members from the 2nd Division, Northern Army, and 1,600 U.S. Marines from III Marine Expeditionary Force, based in Okinawa, Japan. The exercise’s second iteration featured an integrated command and control with drills involving targeting, combined arms and maneuvers across multiple domains.

“Today, as the security environment surrounding Japan becomes more turbulent, there is a need to further strengthen the deterrence and response capabilities of the Japan-U.S. Alliance,” said Gen. Yuichi Togashi, the JGSDF 2nd Division commanding general, according to a U.S. Marine Corps news release. “It is my hope that through this training, the Japanese and U.S. Forces will deepen mutual understanding, improve their tactical skills and joint response capabilities to the operational level, and, in turn, further strengthen the Japan-U.S. Alliance.”

Nuclear-armed North Korea’s test-firing of a ballistic missile that flew over Japan days after Resolute Dragon 22 began reinforced the need for readiness.

At Kamandag, 530 Philippine Marines and 1,900 U.S. Marines trained together for 12 days, along with about 100 members of the Philippine Navy and Air Force. The JGSDF’s Amphibious Rapid Deployment Brigade and Republic of Korea Marines joined some drills. The sixth annual exercise focused on amphibious operations, special operations, maritime security, coastal defense, and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief. A combined live-fire exercise featured aircraft and High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, the news release stated. (Pictured: Philippine Marines provide cover during a drill in Claveria, Philippines, as part of Kamandag 6 in October 2022.)

Kamandag is an acronym for a Filipino phrase that translates to “cooperation of warriors of the sea,” according to the U.S. Defense Department.

“I hope that we will continue to stand together as allies and partners, armed with the commitment to uphold the values and the principles of freedom, democracy and a rules-based order in the Indo-Pacific,” said Philippine Navy chief Rear Adm. Caesar Bernard Valencia, according to Radio Free Asia.

Days before Kamandag 6, Philippine and U.S. leaders reaffirmed their commitment to bilateral relations. Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. met with U.S. President Joe Biden on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York in mid-September 2022 to discuss strengthening the alliance, among other topics. The following week, acting Philippine Defense Secretary Jose Faustino Jr. discussed the nations’ solid relationship with U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin in Hawaii during their first face-to-face meeting.

President Biden called the nations’ 71-year-old mutual defense treaty “ironclad.”

The Okinawa-based 3rd Marine Division served as command and control for U.S. forces during both exercises, conferring with the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command on functioning as a joint task force.

“Resolute Dragon and Kamandag are important opportunities to bolster the defensive capabilities of our alliances with Japan and the Philippines through realistic combined training,” Maj. Gen. Jay Bargeron, 3rd Marine Division commanding general, said in the news release. “These exercises will allow our forces to strengthen interoperability and readiness to ensure we are prepared to rapidly respond to crisis throughout the Indo-Pacific.”

The exercises and top-level discussions came as concerns mount over the aggressive activities of North Korea and the PRC. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) claims most of the South China Sea, which is critical for security and international trade, despite conflicting territorial assertions by Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam. The CCP also maintains Taiwan is part of the PRC and increasingly threatens to forcibly seize control of the self-governed island. North Korea, meanwhile, persists in building its nuclear arsenal and conducting missile tests in violation of U.N. sanctions.

“Our strength, resolve and commitment to our allies and partners in the region are our most effective deterrent,” U.S. Marine Corps Lt. Col. Kurt Stahl told The Associated Press. “Together, we can deter potential adversaries from ever testing our capabilities or our relationships.”

IMAGE CREDIT: SGT. DANNY GONZALEZ/U.S. MARINE CORPS

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