ZAMBOANGA, Philippines --
Marines from 4th Marine Regiment Headquarters, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force deployed to Zamboanga, Philippines, for Exercise Basilan Hope recently. Their mission was to carry out a combined Republic of the Philippines and U.S. Marine Corps computer-based planning exercise in preparation for potential humanitarian assistance/disaster relief operations.
The intent of the training was to streamline the relief operations planning process and reduce the military response time in the event that U.S. and Philippine Marine Corps combined humanitarian assistance efforts are called upon.
Each year from June 1 to Nov. 30, the Asia-Pacific region faces typhoon season. Last year, the Philippine Islands experienced extensive damage caused by three typhoons in the span of one month: Ketsana, in September, and Parma and Mirinae, both in October. In each of those events, III MEF provided direct HA/DR support to the Republic of the Philippines.
Typhoons bring with them destructive winds and powerful rainstorms that cause floods and mudslides, making rapid response planning for HA/DR a higher priority this time of year.
4th Marines, along with their coalition partners from the Philippine 1st Marine Brigade, were tasked to create a seamless combined command in order to facilitate interoperability and develop a plan in response to a natural disaster scenario.
Col. Stephen Neary, commanding officer of 4th Marine Regiment Headquarters, partnered with Col. Elvin Velasco, deputy commanding officer of the Philippine 1st Marine Brigade, to conduct computer-simulated, bilateral HA/DR operations in the Philippines.
"The exercise was a great training event for 4th Marines to deploy, employ and redeploy the regimental headquarters in support of humanitarian assistance training," said Neary. "Exercise Basilan Hope afforded 4th Marines the opportunity to work with coalition partners in planning for HA/DR operations, especially during typhoons."
"Combined Marine Force exercises are extremely important in facilitating bilateral communication and planning among military counterparts. These exercises provide a rock-solid foundation for the execution of real world, rapid response HA/DR operations. Planning now enables both coalition partners the ability to coordinate their efforts and immediately provide humanitarian assistance if needed in the future," said Capt. Dale Webster, operations officer with 4th Marine Regiment Headquarters.
The computer-based planning exercise accomplished the mission without accruing a hefty bill for the two participating units.
"The computer-based program is a logistically effective method for the partnering nations to coordinate realistic, life-saving planning because it requires a minimal number of personnel and minimal physical assets with a huge payoff," said Capt. Osman Sesay, logistics officer for 4th Marine Regiment Headquarters.
"The training was a great learning experience for me. Using the computer system to simulate military operations made me realize how extremely beneficial technology is in providing valuable, realistic training that required minimal manpower. A lot of time and resources were saved in trying one decision, then pressing reset to try another decision," said Lance Cpl. Jonathan Bona, a computer terminal operator with 4th Marine Regiment Headquarters.