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PH, US stage joint aid airlift drill in Clark

Philippine News Agency

By Darryl John Esguerra
August 3, 2025, 8:44 am

MANILA -- The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the United States (US) military have successfully conducted a joint simulation exercise at Clark Air Base to demonstrate the rapid airlift of relief goods for communities affected by recent floods.

The activity, held last Saturday, involved the loading and transport of family food packs (FFPs) from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) using the US MV-22 Osprey aircraft—highlighting the importance of interoperability, swift logistics coordination, and disaster response readiness.

Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr., AFP Chief of Staff Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr., and US Ambassador MaryKay Carlson led the observation of the drill, which also included a guided tour of the Osprey aircraft to showcase its capabilities for quick deployment in humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) missions.

Carlson reaffirmed support from the United States Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM), which has been assisting the AFP in delivering aid to areas impacted by successive monsoons.

To date, 4,800 DSWD food packs have been transported and prepositioned, including deliveries to remote areas such as the Batanes Islands.

Teodoro underscored the shared values anchoring the Philippine-US alliance.

"Our partnership is premised on a fundamental value, the irreplaceable worth we place on every human life. That is very valuable to both of us. We respect each other, we respect human lives, and we are here to preserve that fundamental value," Teodoro was quoted as saying in a Department of National Defense press release Saturday.

"To our treaty partners, the United States of America, we say thank you. And this will not be the last time. In the spirit of multilateralism, in the spirit of our bilateral people-to-people ties, we hope this partnership will be sustained and enhanced to contribute to the greater good of humankind."

The joint drill forms part of continuing efforts to enhance HADR operations between the two countries under their longstanding security and humanitarian partnership. (With Priam Nepomuceno/PNA)