Commander of the United States Pacific, Command Adm. Harry Harris Jr. met with President Rodrigo Duterte to discuss US support to the Philippines on its ongoing efforts to end the conflict in Marawi, interoperability between the two militaries, and regional threats, the US Embassy in Manila said Thursday.
Harris also met with secretary of National Defense Delfin Lorenzana, Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines Gen. Eduardo Año, Secretary of Foreign Affairs Alan Peter Cayetano, and later travelled to Zamboanga to meet Commander of Western Mindanao Command Lt. Gen. Carlito Galvez Jr.
“Adm. Harris participated in a wreath laying ceremony on Aug. 23 at the Heroes’ Cemetery, or Libingan ng mga Bayani, in Taguig to honor the sacrifice of the brave Filipino military heroes buried there,” the embassy said.
The US’s Admiral’s meetings focused on upcoming bilateral engagements, recent aid and military assistance that the US government has provided to the Philippines, as well as opportunities for additional support to Marawi.
Col. Ernest C. Lee, chief of the Joint US Military Assistance Group in the Philippines, formally transferred a new 28M Class Tethered Aerostat Radar System to Flag Officer in Command of the Philippine Navy Vice Adm. Joseph Ronald Mercado in a turn-over ceremony at the Naval Education and Training Command in Zambales on Aug. 22, 2017.
Mercado was the guest of honor and keynote speaker, and US Embassy Deputy Chief of Mission Michael Klecheski also delivered remarks during the turnover.
The 28M Class TARS is a self-sustained, rapidly deployable, unmanned lighter-than-air platform which can rise to an altitude of 5,000 feet while tethered to a single cable.
Meanwhile, 16 Philippine Naval Information and Communication Technology Center personnel are engaged in a rigorous six-week training program at the NETC in Zambales to learn assembly, handling, operation, maintenance, and troubleshooting for the TARS.
“These 16 students will become instructors for the next class of operators,” the US embassy said.
Through the donation, the PN is expected to enhance its capability in Maritime Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance by effectively detecting maritime and air traffic within the country’s coastal waters using sensors.
Moreover, it will also be utilized in Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Response operations.
The TARS includes a weather station that provides telemetry data for the monitoring of ambient temperature, pressure, wind speed and other pertinent parameters to successfully operate the system.
The NETC in Zambales is the staging point for the TARS as it is the largest PN base with flat terrain, and fits the minimum requirement of 300 square feet for the launching of the system.
The donation is part of the US Maritime Security Initiative, a capacity-building assistance program for Southeast Asian countries including the Philippines that aims to improve their ability to address a range of maritime challenges.
