THE Philippines and Australia on Monday kicked off their first bilateral amphibious exercise dubbed 'Alon' (Waves).
Armed Forces of the Philippines' Public Affairs Office chief Lt. Col. Enrico Ileto said the military drills started with a ceremony at the Fight Deck of HMAS Canberra, an Australian vessel under the stewardship of Air Commander Tony McCormack, head of the Indo-Pacific Endeavor (IPE) 2023.

The participants onboard HMAS Canberra will proceed to the Philippines. The training will be held in the Northern Luzon Command and Western Command with ground, aviation and surface assets from the Australian Defense Force, Philippine Navy, Philippine Marine Corps, Philippine Fleet, Philippine Air Force, and Philippine Army supported by the US Marine Corps.
Overall, multiple ships and aircraft and more than 2,000 personnel will be involved in the exercise, which includes 700 personnel from the AFP, 1,200 from the ADF and 150 from the USMC.
The USMC will be a participant but only as support group, Ileto said.
'USMC personnel will be integrated with Australia's Amphibious Force and we will be utilizing USMC's MV-22 during the combined air assault,' he added.
Ileto said the IPE is part of Australia's flagship international engagement activity in the Southeast Asian and Indian Ocean region that aims to promote security, stability, and stronger partnerships through bilateral and multilateral engagement training, capacity building and humanitarian efforts.
'The main objective of this exercise is to enhance interoperability and be able to share tactics, techniques and procedures and best practices in the conduct of amphibious operations,' he said.