Subic Bay Freeport – This premier Freeport is set to be the staging area for the United States Marine Corps humanitarian aid and disaster relief as it opens a warehouse facility at the Naval Supply Depot here on Tuesday.
US Marine Corps Col. Luke Watson and officials from the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) lead the ribbon-cutting ceremony of the warehouse that will be used by the US Marine Corps for storage.
Watson, commanding officer of Blount Island Command, said that the site will enable them to preposition equipment for humanitarian aid and disaster relief that will be utilized for its Indo-Pacific region operations.
“This is one of our ashore sites for humanitarian aid and disaster relief. As part of the Marine Corps’ global prepositioning network, there will be no ammunition, just motor transportation, communication, and engineering,” Watson explained.
Blount Island Command plans to stage humanitarian aid and disaster relief equipment for the Indo-Pacific region.
Meanwhile, SBMA Chairman and Administrator Eduardo Jose L. Aliño expressed his full support for the ingress of the equipment to Subic Bay Freeport. “This is a great stride for the Subic Bay Freeport in assisting foreign allies in their thrust to provide humanitarian aid and relief assistance in the Indo-Pacific Region.”
He added that Subic Bay Freeport is one of the most strategic areas to deploy aid to other areas around the Indo-Pacific Region, as the area has become the logistics hub for maritime and aviation industry in the country.
Based in Jacksonville, Florida, Blount Island Command is the hub for US Marine Corps prepositioning programs, including afloat squadrons and ashore sites.