MANILA, June 5 -- The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the US Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM) have started "Exercise Tempest 41-2026" as part of efforts to beef up disaster response capabilities.

The activity aims to strengthen disaster response planning, enhance interoperability, and improve coordination during humanitarian assistance and disaster response operations, AFP public affairs office chief Col. Xerxes Trinidad said in a statement on Friday.

"Exercise Tempest" is being conducted under the Multinational Planning Augmentation Team (MPAT) Program.

Created in 2000, MPAT is an international program established to improve military coordination and crisis response in the Asia-Pacific Region.

It consists of a cadre of s...