The United States Navy-Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) is expected to join the live fire exercise during this year's Kamandag, a bilateral exercise between the Filipino and American marine forces.

In a press conference in Camp Aguinaldo on Tuesday, Captain John Percie Alcos, Philippine Navy spokesman, said the NMESIS which was deployed by the United States in the Philippines for the Balikatan exercise, is calendared for the live fire exercise during the maritime strike activity of Kamandag which officially opened on Monday.

"The deployment of the NMESIS which is the Navy-Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System is part of Kamandag.. its objective is for us to be able to conduct joint operations or combined operations with other marine corps or other nations. It is not aimed towards specific threats or specific issues that are currently happening adjacent to where it is going to be fired," he said.

"Whether it will be fired or not depends on the actual situation or actual criteria that will be met on the day of the maritime strike demonstration. So, the objective is to be able to maximize this particular training activity," he added.

Alcos did not say where the NMESIS will be fired but he noted that the "maritime strike demonstration is scheduled on June 1.

In its advisory the Philippine Marines also noted that a maritime strike is scheduled at Burgos in Ilocos Norte.

It can be recalled that during the Balikatan exercise that runs from April 21 to May 9, the NMESIS was inserted on Batan Island, one of the Islands of Batanes in the northern part of the country where it conducted simulated strikes on nearby and passing vessels.

Aside from 2,028 Philippine marine forces and 2,031 US marines, other countries including the Republic of Korea with 80 marine troops, 107 Japan Ground Self-Defense Forces and six British Defense Force members will also participate in this year's Kamandag exercises.

Troops from France, Netherlands, Bahrain, Australia, Thailand, Canada and Indonesia will also be deployed as international observers for the exercises. Robina Asido/DMS