MANILA, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- Philippine and U.S. Marines and sailors launched on Monday the inaugural joint exercise codenamed KAMANDAG at multiple locations on the Philippine main Luzon Island.
The U.S. Embassy in Manila said in a statement that the joint exercise, which will run until Oct. 11, is an acronym for the Filipino phrase "Kaagapay Ng Mga Mandirigma Ng Dagat," or "Cooperation of Warriors of the Sea."
The statement said the goal of KAMANDAG is to increase counterterrorism capabilities through bilateral military exchanges between the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the U.S. forces focused on enhancing counterterrorism capabilities, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief capabilities.
Washington and Manila have long been conducting joint military activities to bolster the combat readiness of the AFP and to maintain the interoperability of the AFP and the U.S. military forces.
