Matagumpay na isinagawa ang Combined and Joint Forcible Entry Operations (CJFEO) ng mga pwersa ng Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) at Australian Defence Force (ADF) sa Long beach, Barangay New Agutaya, sa bayan ng San Vicente nitong Linggo, Agosto 24.
Sa isang senaryo ng tila pagkupkop ng mga kalaban sa teretoryo ng Pilipinas, sakay ng mga rubber boats mula sa karagatan, sabay na ipinamalas ng mga tropa ng AFP at ADF ang kalkulado, at mabilisang kilos papalapit sa baybayin hanggang sa marating ang isang gusali na nagsilbing kinupkop ng mga kalaban upang ito’y bawiin.
Gayundin sa himpapawid, tumugon ang mga FA-50 jets ng Philippine Air Force (PAF) at F/A -18 Super Hornet ng Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) upang magbigay ng ground support habang papalapit ang mga tropa.
Small Unit Riverine Craft, Patrol Craft, and the Joint Pre-Landing Force with Combat Rubber Raiding Crafts surge toward the beach. | Photo by Lance Factor
Ayon kay Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr., kahanga-hanga umano ang ipinakitang galaw ng magkabilang panig gayundin ang kooperasyon sa maayos na pagpapatupad ng mga elementong pandigma sa naturang pagsasanay.
“The exercise was very, very impressive and this is a new venue, and you saw a coordination between both the Australian and the Philippine forces were smooth. So, we hope to be able to logisticize and to think of new scenarios as it evolves,” pahayag ni Sec. Teodoro Jr. sa panayam sa kaniya ng media.
Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. with Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Richard Marles during a media interview after the live exercises. | Photo by Lance Factor
Ayon pa sa kaniya, dumaan sa masusing paghahanda ang Pilipinas at Australia upang maisagawa ang ikalawang iteration ng Exercise Alon ngayong taon.
“A tremendous amount of logistics and planning have gone into what we witnessed here. I think credit also goes to not only those who actually participated in the assault, but those who went into the months of planning, months of preparation.”
“The cooperation does not merely extend here but also to hosting the forces making sure that all the things you don’t see, fuel and other necessities are prepositioned months before. So, these things they’re just not planned overnight,” dagdag pa niya.
Ayon naman kay Deputy Prime Minister at Defense Minister ng Australia na si Richard Marles, kahit umano siya ay namangha sa ipinakitang “complex and impressive engagement“ ng kanilang tropa at ng Pilipinas.
“Even in the last hour what you’ve seen is air, sea, land all combining together which is are really complex and impressive engagement between the two countries and speaking to our personnels, there is a real sense of cooperation that exist between our two forces.” saad ni Marles sa panayam sa kaniya ng media.
Sa ikalawang senaryo naman, ipinamalas ang mabilisang pagkilos ng mga tropa ng AFP at United States Marine Corps (USMC) sakay ng Black Hawk helicopter at MV-22 Osprey upang lusubin ang isang lugar na tila inokupa ng mga kalaban.
Samantala, humigit-kumulang 1,000 personnel sa panig ng AFP ang lumahok sa nasabing pagsasanay.
Ang Excercise ALON ay isang “bilateral amphibious training activity” sa pagitan ng pwersa ng Pilipinas at Australia. Layunin nitong palakasin ang kakayahan ng dalawang bansa sa “maritime, air, and land operations.”
