By Darryl John Esguerra
MANILA – Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. and Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Richard Marles on Sunday witnessed what they described as an “impressive” display of interoperability between the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Australian Defense Force (ADF) during the Combined Joint Forcible Entry Operations (CJFEO) for Exercise ALON 2025.
The drill, staged along San Vicente, Palawan’s 14-kilometer Long Beach, featured amphibious and land operations supported by naval, air and ground assets.
It simulated coordinated naval gunfire support, amphibious assault, maritime strike missions, and airfield seizure — scenarios aimed at securing littoral terrain in contested environments.
“The exercise was very, very impressive,” Teodoro told reporters after the activity.
“You saw that the coordination between both the Australian and the Philippine forces was smooth. So, we hope to be able to logisticize and to think of new scenarios as it evolves.”
Marles praised the planning and execution, stressing that the joint training strengthens the ability of both countries to work seamlessly in real-world operations.
“This is about building the interoperability between two countries which share values and have one intent, and that is to uphold the rules-based order in this region,” Marles said.
Exercise ALON 2025 from Aug. 15 to 29 is within the AFP’s Northern and Western Command joint operational areas.
Around 3,600 personnel from the AFP, ADF, United States Marine Corps and Royal Canadian Navy are participating.
This year’s iteration also features cyber resilience training, special operations integration, civil-military cooperation and public affairs exchanges.
Defense observers from Japan, South Korea, New Zealand and Indonesia are monitoring the drills.
Exercise ALON (wave), first launched in 2023, has since evolved into a platform for deepening defense cooperation among like-minded nations.
Ahead of the Palawan drill, Teodoro and Marles held the 2nd Philippines-Australia Defense Ministers’ Meeting, reaffirming their commitment to enhancing bilateral defense ties and regional security cooperation. (With Priam Nepomuceno/PNA)
