AFP chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. (File photo)

MANILA – The ongoing “Exercise Samasama” between Filipino and American naval units highlights the country’s efforts to leverage its alliances to improve its territorial defense capabilities, Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. said Monday night.

“Basically, when it comes to territorial defense we cannot do it alone. So we have to leverage our alliances and our partnerships with like-minded nations. So that’s what we are doing. And ‘Exercise Samasama’ is one of the venues by which we can do that, leveraging our alliances and partnerships,” the AFP chief said in an interview with reporters.

Brawner said this is aside from the usual benefits the AFP gets like interoperability and capability development from these military exercises which is aimed at building up the Philippines’ defense posture.

“It’s basically building that relationship (that) is very important,” Brawner said.

“Exercise Samasama” runs from Oct. 2 to 13 in the waters of Manila and Naval Forces Southern Luzon.

Philippine Navy chief Vice Adm. Toribio Adaci Jr. earlier said the activity as a vital capacity-building platform for the PN that “empowers us to refine our naval warfare capabilities, addressing various dimensions of modern naval operations from antisubmarine warfare to electronic warfare.” (PNA)