U.S. and Filipino Marines sit on the ground outside the plane they will be jumping out of during Exercise Talon Vision 05. The troops were loaded on the plane, but were filed off after mechanical problems first delayed, then canceled their flight. (Fred Zimmerman / Stars and Stripes)
CLARK FIELD, Philippines — It’s the thought that counts.
That may be what the U.S. Marines are hoping the Armed Forces of the Philippines take away from the Talon Vision 05, this year’s version of an annual joint military training exercise.
It began Monday.
Briefly.
The 2004 exercise is much smaller than in the past.
The training is to last only through Friday, in contrast to the three weeks of joint operations last year’s exercise offered.
The U.S. co-director, Maj. Peter Calogero, said approximately 70 U.S. Marines and sailors based in Okinawa, Japan, are taking part this year.
Last year almost 1,000 U.S. troops participated.
“There has been a reduction in available units due to commitments elsewhere,” Calogero said.
The training’s focus this year is to be on air delivery and parachute operations, he said — and less than two hours after the opening ceremony, the first drop took place.
A KC-130 from Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron 152, also Okinawa-based, first dropped a cargo bundle over the Clark Field drop zone.
The aircraft then made two passes where 10 U.S. Marines made static line jumps, slowly falling to the ground.
The exercise was cut short, though, as a problem with the aircraft’s rear door prevented the remaining 13 troops from parachuting to the ground.
Two drops are scheduled for each day through Thursday; the exercise is to end with a “friendship” jump on Friday.
However, Tropical Storm Muifa was bearing down on the area Monday.
Calogero said he was tracking the storm; if winds are too strong, no parachute or air delivery operations would take place Tuesday.
Troops can jump safely in winds up to 15 mph. Calogero said if winds exceed that, troops would switch to other training for the day.
Training in being a loadmaster and in air delivery techniques also is planned.
The pilots also are scheduled to hold training. Calogero said a “subject matter expert exchange” is planned between the AFP Air Force and U.S. Marine Corps pilots.
They will cover mission planning along with air delivery and parachute operations, he said.
Any canceled jumps can’t be rescheduled because the exercise can’t be extended, Calogero said, and two jumps per day already makes a full day for all involved.
“We’re not willing to compromise safety for any jumps,” he said.
Still, both U.S. and Philippine officers said the week should prove valuable.
In a brief speech at an opening ceremony Monday, Armed Forces of the Philippines Air Force Col. Andres E. Largo, Exercise Talon Vision 05 co-director, said the exercise not only would strengthen ties but also would ensure better-trained troops.
Calogero said maintaining the U.S. military’s professional relationship with the Philippine military is so important that the Marine Corps sent as big a force as it could, even given its heavy operational commitments.
And at least one aspect of the week’s plans appears unlikely to be detoured by either belligerent weather or balky equipment.
The U.S. and Philippine forces are to join in three community projects: visits to a senior citizens home and a special needs children’s center and renovations to the Clark Field Chapel.
U.S. and Filipino Marines sit on the ground outside the plane they will be jumping out of during Exercise Talon Vision 05. The troops were loaded on the plane, but were filed off after mechanical problems first delayed, then canceled their flight. (Fred Zimmerman / Stars and Stripes)
Marines parachute out the back of a KC-130 during the first jump of Exercise Talon Vision 05 in the Philippines. The exercise is focusing on air delivery and parachute operations with two jumps scheduled for each of the five days of the exercise. (Fred Zimmerman / Stars and Stripes)
The co-Directors of Exercise Talon Vision 05, Philippine Air Force Col. Andres Largo, left, and U.S. Marine Maj. Peter Calogero, talk after the opening ceremony for the bilateral training. (Fred Zimmerman / Stars and Stripes)
