Philippines, US stage mock hijacking in counterterrorism drill
U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines Sung Kim, left, gestures during a joint news conference with Philippine Defense Chief Delfin Lorenzana to announce the just-concluded anti-hijacking and terrorism drill Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2017 at Camp Aguinaldo in suburban Quezon city, northeast of Manila, Philippines. Ambassador Kim said the week-long drill involved 1,200 American and Philippine troops as well as civilians and centered mostly on plane hijacking scenario. AP/Bullit Marquez
MANILA, Philippines — More than 1,200 Philippine and US civilian and military officials participated in the five-day "Tempest Wind" exercises that focused on counterterrorism and security operations.
The first counterterrorism drill between Filipino and American troops strengthen the offensives and response against terrorism as the ISIS has joined forces with the Maute local terror group.
"It was a challenging interagency drill for both sides, intended to test and improve the ability of our nations to plan, coordinate, and conduct counterterrorism operations," US Ambassador Sung Kim said.
Tempest Wind is a bilateral multi-agency drill between the Philippines and the US that ran from September 18 to 26 in Clark Field, Pampanga.
US Ambassador Sung Kim and DND Secretary @Del_Lorenzana discuss Tempest Wind 17 and the partnership between the two countries. pic.twitter.com/Ki2M1kQzei
— DND Philippines (@dndphl) September 26, 2017
The exercises included a scenario that used a real commercial airliner filled with more than 150 actors portraying hostages.
In the exercise scenario, ISIS terrorists hijack a passenger plane from Sydney, Australia, forcing the aircraft to land in the Philippines instead of in Hawaii, its original destination. Eight ISIS terrorists were killed and 162 Filipino and American passengers were rescued in the counterterrorism drill.
The hijacking and hostage rescue scenario allowed Philippine and US troops to examine crisis management structures and protocols.
The simulation created a "realistic environment to test bilateral, interagency decision-making and tactical response," according to the US envoy.
Kim noted that the exercise strengthened Philippines-US relationships, pinpointed areas of weakness and made both countries more prepared to face 21st Century challenges.
The ambassador vowed that the US will continue to support the counterterrorism efforts of the Philippines.
"We look forward to another successful year of opportunities to train together and learn from each other. Tempest Wind was the latest and very significant example of our close ties," Kim said.
US Navy Adm. Harry Harris Jr. of the US Pacific Command and Gen. Eduardo Año, Armed Forces of the Philippines chief, are set to meet in Hawaii this week to determine the slate of joint activities between the two countries next year.
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