A TOTAL of 16 members of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) Special Operations Force-Palawan finished the Badge Piston 22-2 Course initiated by the Joint United States Military Assistance Group (JUSMAG) held at Honda Bay, Barangay Sta. Lourdes in Puerto Princesa City.
The class was composed of one officer and 15 non-officers from the PCG, and 16 non-officers from the Philippine National Police-Maritime Group (PNP-MG).
During the three-week course that started on May 26 and ended on June 15, 2022, the students sharpened their skills in boarding actions and tactics such as visit, board, search, and seizure; sensitive site exploitation; and tactical combat casualty care training.
PCG Special Operations Force Commander, CG Commodore Edgardo Hernando said the training exercise enhanced the maritime operation capability of the PCG and the PNP-MG. It also improved partnership and interoperability among the country’s allied partner agencies and counterparts from U.S. military units.
During the convocation ceremony, Hernando also expressed his utmost appreciation to the US Army for facilitating the training.
He emphasized the vital role of interoperability among maritime special operations units in the defense of the maritime nation considering the vast coastline of the country.
The CGSOF Commander also shared that the skills set of the special operations units should be harmonized and harnessed to form cohesion – ready to face any challenge to protect the country’s territorial claims.
“We could not just rely on our newly acquired assets. We also need to have trained personnel equipped with desired doctrines and skills ready to man and operate them,” he said further.