Aussie Navy ships in Cebu for training exercise

CEBU, Philippines - Two Royal Australian Navy ships arrived yesterday  at the Philippine Naval Forces Central (Navforcen) at the Naval Base Rafael Ramos in Barangay Lo-oc, Lapu-Lapu City for Maritime Training Exercise “Lumbas” 2016.

Lt. Bennet Christian Nuevarez, spokesperson of Navforcen, said the two Armidale-class patrol boats, HMAS Glenelg (ACPB 96) and HMAS Larrakia (ACPB 84), will be in Cebu for several days for the activity.

Nuevarez said that although the exercise is an exchange program between the Philippine Navy and the Royal Australian Navy, it will be more beneficial to them because of the more advanced training of their foreign counterpart.

He said that aside from the military force, civilian agencies such as the Maritime Police, Bureau of Customs and Phil. Coast Guard, National Intelligence Coordinating Agency, Bureau of Quarantine, Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, Provincial Risk Reduction and Management Council   and Cebu Port Authority, whose functions involved in the maritime operations to deter human trafficking, entry of illegal drugs smuggling and entry of some contrabands, will also participate in the exercise.

One of the highlights of this year’s exercise is the visit, board and seizure exercise which will be held in the seawaters off Camotes Island.

The exercise is useful when they board vessels with suspected contrabands inside.

Captain Antonio Palces, the deputy commander of Navforcen, is the exercise director of this year’s Exercise Lumbas with Commander John Brown as his Australian counterpart.

Exercise Lumbas 2016, which will be conducted at Navforcen area of responsibility, has started last October 10 until 21.

The Royal Australian Navy that is here in the country for the exercise is headed by Captain Brad White, the Australian Defense Attache to the Philippines; Lt. Col. Tim Topsik; Lt. Commander Mark Linden; and Lt. Commander Rob Graham, who will facilitate the conduct of the Command Post Exercise  which aims to test, validate, enhance and evaluate combined/respective doctrines, techniques, tactics and procedures  for threat from the sea, piracy and other scenarios.

The exercise is an annual activity between the Phil. Navy and Royal Australian Navy that is being held in the Philippines since 1998. It aims to strengthen relationship, inter-operability and enhance mutual cooperation between the two countries.

Training activities with interagency parti-cipation include Subject Matter Expert Exchanges, Table Top Exercise, Field Training Exercise (Force Integration and Maritime Security Operations), ceremonial and sports activities. (FREEMAN)