The maritime exercise Sama Sama involving navies from the Philippines, Japan and the United States concluded on Monday following a weeklong activity, which further strengthened maritime interoperability among the three countries.
The training activity, which was also participated by the Philippine and US Coast Guards, culminated in Puerto Princesa City and it ended while US Coast Guard Commandant Admiral Karl Schultz was in the country.
Schultz assured the US Coast Guard’s continuing commitment to capacitate its Philippine counterpart by providing it with training and equipment.
The maritime exercise Sama Sama was designed to promote regional security cooperation, maintain and strengthen maritime partnerships and enhance maritime interoperability.
“I could not be more proud of what we accomplished together,” Capt. Ann McCann, the deputy chief of Destroyer Squadron 7, the US Embassy quoted her as saying in a news statement.
“The time and resources invested here will pay dividends. While the exercise has ended, the skills, the knowledge and the relationships built here will only grow in value over time,” McCann added.
Earlier, US Navy Rear Admiral Joey Tynch, commander of the Logistics Group Western Pacific, who oversees security cooperation for the US Navy in Southeast Asia, said that Sama Sama showed the “evolution toward multilateral training and networked security.”
“We are strongest when we sail together,” said Tynch. “MTA Sama Sama gives us a great chance to work shoulder-to-shoulder with our friends, partners, and allies, the Philippine Navy and the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force. We train together, so that together we can face threats to maritime security,” Tynch said.