Disaster response training by the United States Indo-Pacific Command proved crucial to civil-military coordination in the wake of back-to-back storms that caused hundreds of deaths and extensive damage in the Philippines.
“This training couldn’t have been completed at a more vital time,” said Joe Martin, director of the command’s Center for Excellence in Disaster Management and Humanitarian Assistance (CFE-DM). “Our work with Allies and Partners to build resilience against natural and manmade disasters is one piece of fostering stability and security throughout the region.”
The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the U.S. military are providing disaster response to communities affected by typhoons Kalmaegi and Fung-wong, known in the Philippines as Tino and Uwan. The November 2025 storms produced floods and landslides across the archipelagic nation, killing almost 300 people and leaving tens of thousands without shelter or power, officials said.
At the request of the Philippine government, the U.S. deployed assets and personnel, coordinating with the AFP and agencies including the Philippine Office of Civil Defense, Joint U.S. Military Assistance Group, Task Force–Philippines, and the U.S. State Department. The Philippines Department of Social Welfare and Development said it had distributed more than 1.2 million family food packs to 17 regions by mid-November and delivered about 24,000 boxes of food and 31,000 nonfood items, including to stranded travelers.
Since 1994, the Hawaii-based CFE-DM has conducted training across the Indo-Pacific to strengthen disaster response capabilities of allied and partner militaries, including two recent courses in the Philippines for military leaders and public information officers. The sessions were enabled by the nations’ long-standing alliance and shared commitment to regional resilience and humanitarian assistance and disaster response (HADR).
Shortly before Typhoon Kalmaegi made landfall, CFE-DM presented a disaster response course at Camp Aguinaldo, Manila, to support the AFP Command and General Staff Course (CGSC). Drawing on real-world scenarios such as Typhoon Haiyan in the North Pacific in 2013 and the Nepal earthquake in 2015, the curriculum featured contributions from key agencies such as the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and the World Food Program.
AFP Col. Rogelio Luna, the CGSC commandant, praised the course and highlighted the continuing need for disaster response education.
The CFE-DM also presented its Strategic Communications in Disaster Management workshop for military personnel involved in response missions. It was the first time the course, developed in 2024, was offered in the Philippines.
“By enhancing civil-military coordination and promoting best practices in disaster response, CFE-DM contributes to a more secure and prosperous Indo-Pacific, which reduces vulnerabilities that could be exploited by malign actors and strengthens collective security,” Martin said.
In October 2025 in Okinawa, Japan, the center presented its Humanitarian Assistance Response Training–Disasters (HART-D) course to personnel from the U.S. Marine Corps’ 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, 3rd Marine Expeditionary Force and 3rd Marine Expeditionary Brigade (3D MEB). HART-D is the center’s flagship course for training U.S. forces on civilian-led, foreign HADR operations.
3D MEB is supporting typhoon disaster response in the Philippines.
“Several of the members of the [3D] MEB currently deployed in support of the ongoing operation received the HART-D training we provided in Okinawa,” said retired U.S. Marine Corps Col. Mike Wylie, a CFE-DM advisor in the Philippines. “Two officers I spoke with let me know how grateful they were for having received the instruction and stated that they felt extremely well prepared as a result.”
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