MANILA, Philippines -- U.S. Marines and Sailors with the 3d Marine Expeditionary Brigade, together with their Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) counterparts, launch the inaugural exercise KAMANDAG today at multiple locations on the island of Luzon, Philippines.

KAMANDAG, which will run until October 11, is an acronym for the Filipino phrase “Kaagapay Ng Mga Mandirigma Ng Dagat,” or “Cooperation of Warriors of the Sea,” emphasizing the close partnership between the Philippine and United States militaries. KAMANDAG will increase overall U.S. and Philippine readiness, improve bilateral responsiveness to crises in the region, and further reinforce our illustrious decades-long alliance. Leading up to the commencement of KAMANDAG, AFP and U.S. forces completed bilateral humanitarian and civic assistance projects at schools earlier this month in Casiguran, Aurora.

The goal of KAMANDAG is to increase counterterrorism capabilities through bilateral military exchanges between the AFP and U.S. forces focused on enhancing counterterrorism capabilities, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief capabilities, and performing humanitarian and civic assistance projects.

Some of the activities that service members will be able to practice together include combat lifesaving, shipboard mass casualty response, live fire training, urban operations, movement ashore, and humanitarian assistance and disaster response.