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Philippine, U.S. troops to hold naval drill

Xinhua, June 18, 2015 Adjust font size:

The Philippines and the United States will conduct a new round of naval drills off Palawan province in southwestern Philippines next week, military officials said on Thursday.

The annual Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training, or CARAT, will start at the Naval Station Apolinario Jalandoni in Puerto Princesa City on June 22, said the Navy's Philippine Fleet.

The fleet's public affairs officer Liezl Vidallon said the exercises, which will run until June 25, are meant to "enhance interoperability" among Filipino and American navy forces.

Vidallon said the CARAT exercises include gunnery exercise, helicopter crash and salvage, deck landing qualification, visit, board, search and seizure, and weapon system introduction.

The two sides will also be pursuing other activities under CARAT including community service, engineering civil action projects in Palawan, according to Vidallon.

"It will be held east of Palawan, not in the disputed islands. They will be held in our territorial waters," he said.

He added that the CARAT exercises will involve the littoral combat ship USS Fort Worth and the Philippine Navy's BRP Gregorio del Pilar and BRP Ramon Alcaraz.

Vidallon could not immediately say the exact number of personnel and assets that will be involved in the exercise. Endi