THE Department of National Defense (DND) is fine with President Duterte’s announcement that he is willing to allow the country’s Navy ships to conduct naval maneuvers with their Chinese counterparts.
“The DND welcomes every opportunity to forge stronger defense ties with other countries, especially given the fact that we now face threats that necessitate responses on an international scale,” DND Public Affairs Director Arsenio R. Andolong said in a message to the Philippines News Agency on Tuesday.
Andolong added it is also customary for various armed forces to train together to become familiar with each other.
“Having joint military exercises with other countries will benefit us, since these will expose our troops to new doctrines and new technology. These will also allow us to assess how our own doctrines fare against our foreign counterparts,” Andolong pointed out.
Earlier, Duterte said he is amenable to having the Navy conduct drills with its Chinese counterpart, especially in Sulu and Mindanao waters.
Duterte made this announcement after visiting the three Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy ships at the Sasa Wharf in Davao City on Monday.
The visiting Chinese ships are the guided-missile destroyer Chang Chun (DDG-150), the guided-missile frigate Jin Zhou (FFG-532) and the Type 903 replenishment ship Chao Hu (890).