Photo By Staff Sgt. Duane Ramos | U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Ralph Villamor, assigned with the 129th Rescue Wing,...... read more read more
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MOFFETT AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, Calif. — Members of the California Air National Guard’s 129th Rescue Wing recently traveled to Mactan-Benito Ebuen Air Base in Cebu, Philippines, to participate in Exercise Balikatan, enhancing joint interoperability in logistics and air mobility and strengthening mission readiness for humanitarian assistance and disaster relief scenarios in the Indo-Pacific region.
The Guardsmen worked with the Philippine Air Force to refine logistic planning and air mobility support at Mactan-Benito Ebuen Air Base, leading to improved force integration and enhanced quality of life and operational efficiency for both units.
Two members of the 129th Logistics Readiness Squadron played a key role in building relationships with the Philippine Air Force. U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Kristian Dela Cruz, flight chief of the 129th air terminal function, and Master Sgt. Ralph Villamor, an air transportation craftsman, used their fluency in Tagalog to foster cultural sensitivity, mutual respect, and trust between the teams.
“We were able to utilize our Filipino language speaking skills a lot,” said Dela Cruz. “We became the go-to people to facilitate a lot of the coordination with the Philippine Air Force.”
During the first 24 hours of the mission, Dela Cruz and Villamor used their skills to find the necessary contacts, experts and equipment needed for the Wing’s mission.
Leveraging these relationships, the Guardsmen acted as a liaison with the Philippine Air Force logistics and maintenance teams to ensure timely access to fuel, lavatory services, and other essential ground support equipment.
The 129th led a two-day subject matter expert exchange training for the Philippine Air Force members in air traffic control, airfield management, and air transportation operations.
“This was beneficial for the Philippine Air Force because they received direct instruction from the 129th team,” said Dela Cruz.
The 129th Guardsmen facilitated initial familiarization of the HC-130J Combat King II aircraft with Philippine Air Force cargo, base ops, crash fire rescue, and air mobility groups, to compare maintenance procedures, identify best practices, and enhance overall efficiency and support capabilities for the HC-130J.
The 129th Rescue Wing's month-long participation in Exercise Balikatan successfully enhanced interoperability with the Philippine Air Force and strengthened relationships that will be vital for future joint operations and exercises in the Indo-Pacific region. The skills and knowledge shared during the exercise will contribute to improved mission readiness and a more effective response to regional challenges.
Balikatan, translates to “shoulder to shoulder”, is a longstanding annual exercise between the armed forces of the Philippines and the U.S. military designed to strengthen our ironclad alliance, improve our capable combined force and demonstrate our commitment to regional security and stability.
| Date Taken: | 06.04.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 06.04.2025 18:23 |
| Story ID: | 499688 |
| Location: | CALIFORNIA, US |
| Web Views: | 230 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, 129th Rescue Wing Enhances Interoperability with the Philippine Air Force During Balikatan25, by SrA Serena Smith, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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