CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY — The United States Marine Corps (USMC) has conducted a rehearsal in northern Mindanao to move warfighting equipment from sea to shore in preparation for this year’s Exercise Balikatan.

The operation, held last month, focused on a maritime prepositioning force offload at the Port of Cagayan de Oro, where the USNS Sgt. William W. Seay (T-AKR 302), a U.S. Navy roll-on/roll-off cargo vessel, delivered equipment and sustainment supplies intended for the joint military exercises.

According to a USMC news release, American Marines and sailors worked alongside personnel of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), port authorities, and civilian contractors in unloading cargo. The materials were transferred to barges for transport to Subic Bay, where participating units will later draw equipment for training.

Balikatan is a long-running joint military exercise between the Philippines and the United States that focuses on combined operations and regional security cooperation.

The USMC said the Mindanao activity marked the first time such a sea-based logistics offload was conducted in the area, noting that it expanded supply routes and tested the speed of moving equipment across multiple parts of the archipelago.

The offloaded equipment will support various Balikatan training activities across several locations. The exercise also serves as a rehearsal for potential crisis response operations requiring rapid movement of supplies from ships to shore.

In parallel with military preparations, community engagements were also conducted. In Quezon province, AFP and U.S. forces held a gift-giving activity at Villa Reyes Elementary School in San Francisco town.

Troops distributed learning materials and equipment to students and broke ground for a planned two-classroom building. Medical and dental missions were also carried out for residents.

This year’s Balikatan exercises will run from April to May, with opening ceremonies set on April 20. AFP Chief of Staff General Romeo Brawner Jr. earlier said the drills will proceed at full scale despite ongoing tensions in the Middle East.