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U.S. Marines with I Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward) and Marine Aircraft Group 13, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, and service members with the Philippine Navy and Marine Corps, pose for a photo during a women's leadership symposium during Marine Aviation Support Activity 24 at Fort Bonifacio, Manila, Philippines, June 14, 2024. This was the first time a women's leadership conference was conducted in the Philippines, and focused on developing individual leadership, resilience, and strong bonds by presenting discussions on work-life balance, talent management, and building a stronger community. MASA is an annual Philippine-U.S. military exercise focused on mutual defense, strengthening relationships, and rehearsing emerging aviation concepts. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Shaina Jupiter) - U.S. Marines with I Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward) and Marine Aircraft Group 13, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, and service members with the Philippine Navy and Marine Corps, pose for a photo during a women's leadership symposium during Marine Aviation Support Activity 24 at Fort Bonifacio, Manila, Philippines, June 14, 2024. This was the first time a women's leadership conference was conducted in the Philippines, and focused on developing individual leadership, resilience, and strong bonds by presenting discussions on work-life balance, talent management, and building a stronger community. MASA is an annual Philippine-U.S. military exercise focused on mutual defense, strengthening relationships, and rehearsing emerging aviation concepts. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Shaina Jupiter)

Stronger Together: U.S., Philippine service members participate in international Female Leadership Symposium

On June 14, 2024, women from the U.S. Marine Corps and Armed Forces of the Philippines came together to hold the first Philippine-U.S international Female Leadership Symposium at Fort Bonifacio, Manila, Philippines.

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A U.S. Marine Corps F-35B Lighting II with Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 214, Marine Aircraft Group 13, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, receives fuel from a KC-130J Super Hercules with Marine Aerial Refueler Transport (VMGR) 352, MAG 11, 3rd MAW, for a littoral live-fire exercise off the coast of Zambales, Philippines, during Marine Aviation Support Activity 24, June 15, 2024. The LLFX showcased the integrated command and control capabilities of the U.S. and Philippine armed forces in a territorial defense scenario featuring a coordinated bilateral surface and maritime strike. MASA is an annual Philippine-U.S. military exercise focused on mutual defense, strengthening relationships, and rehearsing emerging aviation concepts. MASA is an annual Philippine-U.S. military exercise focused on mutual defense, strengthening relationships, and rehearsing emerging aviation concepts. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Jennifer Sanchez) - A U.S. Marine Corps F-35B Lighting II with Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 214, Marine Aircraft Group 13, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, receives fuel from a KC-130J Super Hercules with Marine Aerial Refueler Transport (VMGR) 352, MAG 11, 3rd MAW, for a littoral live-fire exercise off the coast of Zambales, Philippines, during Marine Aviation Support Activity 24, June 15, 2024. The LLFX showcased the integrated command and control capabilities of the U.S. and Philippine armed forces in a territorial defense scenario featuring a coordinated bilateral surface and maritime strike. MASA is an annual Philippine-U.S. military exercise focused on mutual defense, strengthening relationships, and rehearsing emerging aviation concepts. MASA is an annual Philippine-U.S. military exercise focused on mutual defense, strengthening relationships, and rehearsing emerging aviation concepts. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Jennifer Sanchez)

The U.S.-Philippine team reaches new heights

FORT BONIFACIO, MANILA, Philippines – Elements of the I and III Marine Expeditionary Forces (MEF) concluded the three weeks of the latest iteration of Marine Aviation Support Activity bilateral training with the Armed Forces of the Philippines on June 21, 2024. Training encompassed air, sea, and land domains from Palawan to Batan, rehearsing emerging aviation concepts across the Philippine archipelago.

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U.S. Marine Corps Pfc. Jonathan Dumadaug, a rifleman with 1st Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, poses for a photo after the final exercise for Archipelagic Coastal Defense Continuum in Barira, Philippines, May 28, 2024. The final exercise consisted of a bilateral company-level element conducting close-quarter combat and patrol-based operations. ACDC is a series of bilateral exchanges and training opportunities between the U.S. Marines and Philippine Marines aimed at bolstering the Philippine Marine Corps’ Coastal Defense strategy while supporting the modernization efforts of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. Dumadaug is a Philippines native. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Shaina Jupiter) - U.S. Marine Corps Pfc. Jonathan Dumadaug, a rifleman with 1st Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, poses for a photo after the final exercise for Archipelagic Coastal Defense Continuum in Barira, Philippines, May 28, 2024. The final exercise consisted of a bilateral company-level element conducting close-quarter combat and patrol-based operations. ACDC is a series of bilateral exchanges and training opportunities between the U.S. Marines and Philippine Marines aimed at bolstering the Philippine Marine Corps’ Coastal Defense strategy while supporting the modernization efforts of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. Dumadaug is a Philippines native. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Shaina Jupiter)

A Bridge Across the Pacific: A Philippine Native and U.S. Marine returns home

BARIRA, Philippines – Born and raised in Manila, the capital city of the Philippines, Jonathan Dumadaug would return 34 years later, but now in the uniform of an elite fighting force, the United States Marine Corps. Dumadaug first felt inspired to join the Marine Corps by his uncle, a Philippine Marine who once fought against the Moro-Islamic Liberation Front rebels in Camp Abubakar in 2000. The impact that civil unrest in the region had on his upbringing drove Dumadaug to find a bigger sense of purpose. “I can’t just sit here and be comfortable when threats over the world are getting bolder,” said Dumadaug. “I'd rather be a warrior in a garden than a gardener in a battlefield.”

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U.S. Marine Corps Col. Stuart Glenn, left, commanding officer of the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit, Philippine Navy Rear Adm. Alfonso Torres, center, commander, Armed Forces Philippines Western Command, and Philippine Marine Corps Brig. Gen. Romeo T. Racadio, director representative, Exercise Directorate Headquarters, speak during the Marine Aviation Support Activity opening ceremony at Fort Bonifacio, Manila, Philippines, June 3, 2024. MASA 24 is an annual Philippine-U.S. military exercise focused on mutual defense, strengthening relationships, and rehearsing emerging aviation concepts. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Shaina Jupiter) - U.S. Marine Corps Col. Stuart Glenn, left, commanding officer of the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit, Philippine Navy Rear Adm. Alfonso Torres, center, commander, Armed Forces Philippines Western Command, and Philippine Marine Corps Brig. Gen. Romeo T. Racadio, director representative, Exercise Directorate Headquarters, speak during the Marine Aviation Support Activity opening ceremony at Fort Bonifacio, Manila, Philippines, June 3, 2024. MASA 24 is an annual Philippine-U.S. military exercise focused on mutual defense, strengthening relationships, and rehearsing emerging aviation concepts. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Shaina Jupiter)

MARINE AVIATION SUPPORT ACTIVITY (MASA) 24 BEGINS AT FORT BONIFACIO

Marine Aviation Support Activity (MASA) 24, an annual Philippine-U.S. military exercise focused on mutual defense, strengthening relationships, and rehearsing emerging aviation concepts, is scheduled to take place in the Philippines from June 3-21, 2024. Philippine and U.S. service members will conduct a range of interoperability training events consistent with the Mutual Defense Treaty, Visiting Forces Agreement, and the supplemental Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement. These mutual agreements support continued long-term modernization efforts, increased maritime security, and improved humanitarian assistance capabilities in response to natural disasters in the Philippines.

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U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Michael Georges, an assistant platoon leader with 1st Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, gives food and water to an elementary school student at Abubacar Siddique Elementary School for a community relations event during Archipelagic Coastal Defense Continuum in Barira, Philippines, May 26, 2024. ACDC is a series of bilateral exchanges and training opportunities between U.S. Marines and Philippine Marines aimed at bolstering the Philippine Marine Corps’ Coastal Defense strategy while supporting the modernization efforts of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. Georges is a South Dakota native. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Shaina Jupiter) - U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Michael Georges, an assistant platoon leader with 1st Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, gives food and water to an elementary school student at Abubacar Siddique Elementary School for a community relations event during Archipelagic Coastal Defense Continuum in Barira, Philippines, May 26, 2024. ACDC is a series of bilateral exchanges and training opportunities between U.S. Marines and Philippine Marines aimed at bolstering the Philippine Marine Corps’ Coastal Defense strategy while supporting the modernization efforts of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. Georges is a South Dakota native. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Shaina Jupiter)

A Milestone in Philippine Coastal Defense

FORT BONIFACIO, MANILA, Philippines – Elements of I and III Marine Expeditionary Forces (MEF) concluded the latest iteration of the Archipelagic Coastal Defense Continuum (ACDC) bilateral training with units from across the Philippine Marine Corps, including the Philippine Coastal Defense Regiment on May 31, 2024. The training took place from the diverse landscapes of Paredes in the north to the mountainous jungles of Barira in the southern Philippines.

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Philippine Marine Corps Maj. Victor Donque, operations officer for 1st Marine Brigade, delivers an orientation brief for U.S. Marines with 1st Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, and Philippine Marines with 1st Marine Brigade during Archipelagic Coastal Defense Continuum in Barira, Philippines, May 13, 2024. ACDC is a series of bilateral exchanges and training opportunities between U.S. Marines and Philippine Marines aimed at bolstering the Philippine Marine Corps’ Coastal Defense strategy while supporting the modernization efforts of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Kayla Halloran) - Philippine Marine Corps Maj. Victor Donque, operations officer for 1st Marine Brigade, delivers an orientation brief for U.S. Marines with 1st Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, and Philippine Marines with 1st Marine Brigade during Archipelagic Coastal Defense Continuum in Barira, Philippines, May 13, 2024. ACDC is a series of bilateral exchanges and training opportunities between U.S. Marines and Philippine Marines aimed at bolstering the Philippine Marine Corps’ Coastal Defense strategy while supporting the modernization efforts of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Kayla Halloran)

Armed Forces of the Philippines, U.S. Marines conduct bilateral training

FORT BONIFACIO, MANILA, Philippines – The Armed Forces of the Philippines and the U.S. Marine Corps will conduct bilateral training and subject matter expert exchanges under the Archipelagic Coastal Defense Continuum from May 12 to June 7 throughout Northern Luzon, Palawan, and Mindanao to support the modernization efforts of the Armed Forces of the Philippines through shared expertise and cooperation.

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Explosive ordnance disposal technicians with the Philippine Marine Corps, Philippine Navy Special Operations Command, and U.S. Marine Corps transport a “Floating Freddy” towards a C-4 charge during underwater unexploded ordnance disposal demolitions off the coast of Caballo Island, Philippines, during Archipelagic Coastal Defense Continuum May 14, 2024. ACDC is a series of bilateral exchanges and training opportunities between U.S. Marines and Philippine Marines aimed at bolstering the Philippine Marine Corps’ Coastal Defense strategy while supporting the modernization efforts of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. This event marked the first time in U.S. Marine Corps EOD history that dive and demolition training on live underwater ordnance was conducted outside the continental United States. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Staff Sgt. Dana Beesley) - Explosive ordnance disposal technicians with the Philippine Marine Corps, Philippine Navy Special Operations Command, and U.S. Marine Corps transport a “Floating Freddy” towards a C-4 charge during underwater unexploded ordnance disposal demolitions off the coast of Caballo Island, Philippines, during Archipelagic Coastal Defense Continuum May 14, 2024. ACDC is a series of bilateral exchanges and training opportunities between U.S. Marines and Philippine Marines aimed at bolstering the Philippine Marine Corps’ Coastal Defense strategy while supporting the modernization efforts of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. This event marked the first time in U.S. Marine Corps EOD history that dive and demolition training on live underwater ordnance was conducted outside the continental United States. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Staff Sgt. Dana Beesley)

Dive Deep: U.S., Philippines make history in the Pacific Ocean during ACDC

20 miles off the coast of Manila, Philippines, lies a small, rocky bluff that divides the entrance to the city’s bay into two channels. The island of Caballo, which translates to “Horse Island” in Spanish, was once a defense fortification post prior to World War II, before heavy bombardment left it diminished as a relic known only to history. Today, Caballo is off limits to visitors, save for a small detachment of Philippine Navy Sailors and the remains of batteries and structures peppering the wharf. 2024 opened a new chapter in the history of Caballo, continuing the partnership between the U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Navy, and Armed Forces of the Philippines.

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U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Francisco Hernandez, left, a surveillance sensor operator, and Sgt. Luis Cortes, a meteorology and oceanology forecaster, both assigned to the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit, assemble a SIMRAD Halo-24 radar during Exercise Balikatan 23 in Antique, Philippines, April 14, 2023. Balikatan is an annual exercise between the Armed Forces of the Philippines and U.S. Military designed to strengthen bilateral interoperability, capabilities, trust, and cooperation built over decades of shared experiences. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Quince D. Bisard) - U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Francisco Hernandez, left, a surveillance sensor operator, and Sgt. Luis Cortes, a meteorology and oceanology forecaster, both assigned to the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit, assemble a SIMRAD Halo-24 radar during Exercise Balikatan 23 in Antique, Philippines, April 14, 2023. Balikatan is an annual exercise between the Armed Forces of the Philippines and U.S. Military designed to strengthen bilateral interoperability, capabilities, trust, and cooperation built over decades of shared experiences. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Quince D. Bisard)

13th Marine Expeditionary Unit Conducts Sensing Expeditionary Advanced Base Operations during Balikatan 2023

San Antonio, Zambales, Philippines (April 20, 2023) -- What does the future fight with a peer adversary look like? This question has been long deliberated by warfighting strategists with varying predictions, but one factor remains constant; to be detected, is to be targeted and killed. Sensing Expeditionary Advanced Bases are one of the ways the Marine Corps is addressing this common denominator on the next battlefield.

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Ships and aircraft from Nimitz Carrier Strike Group (NIMCSG) and Makin Island Amphibious Ready Group (MKI ARG), with embarked 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), operate in formation in the South China Sea. NIMCSG, MKI ARG and 13th MEU, are conducting combined expeditionary strike force (ESF) operations, demonstrating unique high-end war fighting capability, maritime superiority, power projection and readiness. Operations include integrated training designed to advance interoperability between the two groups while simultaneously demonstrating the U.S. commitment to our alliances and partnerships in the Indo-Pacific region. - 230215-N-ZQ263-1189 SOUTH CHINA SEA (Feb. 15, 2023) Ships and aircraft from Nimitz Carrier Strike Group (NIMCSG) and Makin Island Amphibious Ready Group (MKI ARG), with embarked 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), operate in formation in the South China Sea. NIMCSG, MKI ARG and 13th MEU, are conducting combined expeditionary strike force (ESF) operations, demonstrating unique high-end war fighting capability, maritime superiority, power projection and readiness. Operations include integrated training designed to advance interoperability between the two groups while simultaneously demonstrating the U.S. commitment to our alliances and partnerships in the Indo-Pacific region. NIMCSG is in U.S. 7th Fleet conducting routine operations. 7th Fleet is the U.S. Navy's largest forward-deployed numbered fleet, and routinely interacts and operates with Allies and partners in preserving a free and open Indo-Pacific region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Kenneth Lagadi)

13th MEU Conducts Expeditionary Strike Force Operations in the South China Sea

The 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit and Makin Island Amphibious Ready Group conducted Expeditionary Strike Force operations with the USS Nimitz Carrier Strike Group in the South China Sea. ESF operations combines the ARG/MEU amphibious capabilities with the naval combat power of a Carrier Strike Group, forming an Expeditionary Strike Group. Together, these Navy and Marine Corps forces can create unmatched global impacts.

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U.S. Marine Corps MV-22 Ospreys assigned to Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron (Rein.) 362, 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit, fly over multinational forces during an amphibious exercise as part of Exercise Cobra Gold 23 in Chonburi province, Kingdom of Thailand, March 3, 2023. - U.S. Marine Corps MV-22 Ospreys assigned to Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron (Rein.) 362, 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit, fly over multinational forces during an amphibious exercise as part of Exercise Cobra Gold 23 in Chonburi province, Kingdom of Thailand, March 3, 2023. Participating nations conducted operations simultaneously across multiple locations to refine command and control processes while fostering interoperability. Cobra Gold, now in its 42nd year, is a Thai-U.S. co-sponsored training event that builds on the long-standing friendship between the two allied nations and brings together a robust multinational force to promote regional peace and security in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Gunnery Sgt. Chad J. Pulliam)

13th Marine Expeditionary Unit completes participation in Exercise Cobra Gold 2023

The 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit, embarked aboard the Makin Island Amphibious Ready Group, finished participation in the 42nd iteration of the annual theater security cooperation event Exercise Cobra Gold 2023 in the Kingdom of Thailand, March 10, 2023.

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