MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala. -- When two LEAP Scholars participated in a combined training exercise in the Philippines, it wasn’t just business as usual for them, it was personal. Capt. Timothy Nolan and Master Sgt. Ramchand Francisco were both born and raised in the Philippines, and they jumped at the chance to return to their native country as members of the United States military.
In October 2022, Nolan and Francisco traveled to the Philippine island of Palawan to support KAMANDAG-6, an annual Philippine Marine Corps (PMC) and U.S. Marine Corps-led exercise aimed at enhancing the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ defense and humanitarian capabilities. The average number of participants of KAMANDAG-6 is more than 2,300 personnel where roughly 1,000 U.S. Marines and Sailors train alongside 1,000 PMC personnel. Service members from the Japanese Self-Defense Force, Republic of Korea Marines, and British/Australian/French armed forces are also among the other countries who typically participate.
Initially, the LEAP Scholars’ host unit was not sure how to utilize their skills.
“Upon meeting our points of contact with the U.S. 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit, we learned that they didn’t know how to employ us,” said Francisco. “While our job descriptions stated linguists or interpreters, there wasn’t a playbook of what our day-to-day would be. However, during the first few days of interaction before exercise execution, our Marine brethren slowly noticed the ease of how we went about communicating with others, how warm our Filipino countrymen were with us, and how exceptionally accommodating they were towards us. I remember one instance when the Marines had trouble coordinating with their hired drivers. I asked if I could help them, and to their delight, the assistance paved a better way forward for the duration of the exercise. The Marines soon started asking us to be more involved with the rest of their affairs. We eventually wore hats as logisticians, escorts, mentors, instructors, tour guides, subject matter experts, emcees for sporting events, and even hagglers at the local flea market.”
Nolan reiterated that the LEAP Scholars made a significant effort to build relationships with their Philippine partners during the exercise.
“Our LEAP team went out of our way to make ourselves available to many other positions we needed to fill so we could try and positively affect the entirety of the exercise,” he said. “We spent time to know them, listening to their stories, and just hanging out whenever we could. This effort was really the early seeds of trust being planted.”
Nolan said these early seeds led to an appreciation between the two partner forces.
“In turn, the conversations between both sides became livelier,” he said. “Thoughts were expressed better, and the Filipinos were comfortable to be more honest. Lessons were understood more deeply. Interactions became more genuine. It wasn’t long when, on the U.S. side, 11th Marine Expeditionary Units Commanding Officer Col. Tom Siverts also realized our potential. He came into the exercise with a slightly different mindset than many leaders I’d worked with downrange. He wasn’t there to show off the big guns and the most modern equipment he had in the MEU. He wasn’t there to just check the boxes of mission objectives. He was there to be a ‘Gracious Guest’ as he emphasized every day. It seems cliché, but building relationships truly was his primary goal. He respected the Filipino perspective so much that the first order of business during their nightly staff meetings was to receive feedback from our team - because he knew we had the ground truth on what the Philippine side felt about the day-to-day.”
According to Nolan, the LEAP team’s ability to understand their host nation partners led to improvements in how the training was conducted.
“And the majority, if not all, of the recommended changes we shared was implemented by Col. Siverts’ team the next day,” Nolan said. “Additionally, we reminded him and his marines of the fact that the 3d Marine Brigade was filled with battle-hardened warfighters. Realizing the value of this, they shifted a good amount of their USMC classroom teaching sessions into hands-on, outside-in-the-heat, real-world USMC learning sessions. Guerilla Warfare, Jungle Survival, Ingenuity, etc., topics that were not included in the initial plan. All this because he ‘asked the Filipino.’ The flow of information was a game changer to these ad hoc adjustments. From the lowest levels, the Filipinos were comfortable enough to share their true feedback with us and we were given the opportunity to pass that along with actionable recommendations.”
According to Nolan, the contributions of LEAP professionals brought communication flow and integration that made a big difference in training quality and helped both sides achieve their objectives. This also resulted in both sides developing sincere bonds with each other.
“By the end of KAMANDAG-6, U.S. and Filipino Marines were inseparable,” Nolan said. “Whether sharing the same quarters or singing karaoke, the bonds that were made would last a lifetime. Some would even ask each other to be godparents of their kids.”
Both Nolan and Francisco noted the massive impact that language, regional expertise, and culture, implemented by LEAP Scholars, has on our partnerships and warfighting capability.
“The U.S.-Philippine alliance is a testament to a shared history that has shaped both nations,” Nolan said. “With today’s current events, fostering it is more crucial now than ever in recent times. The LEAP Scholar is a linchpin to that effort. A unique and invaluable capability that must be, in our opinion, a consistent part of the emerging events in the INDOPACIFIC region. LEAP Scholars, in any theatre, are an asset that cannot be replicated by any adversary. With this capability utilized to its full potential, we can build bonds with overseas partners and affect the battlespace in dimensions that major weapon systems could not. We can play a crucial role building, building the relationship before it is truly needed.”
Francisco and Nolan returned to the Philippines in 2023 with Master Sgt. Cesar Salilican, a fellow LEAP Scholar, for KAMANDAG-7 and Francisco said he envisions these types of missions continuing with LEAP Scholars being a force multiplier.
“Being a part of LEAP has been the greatest highlight of my Air Force career, as it is for Capt. Nolan,” said Francisco. “For us to serve the two countries that we love most is so gratifying. I probably am not wrong to say the thousands of LEAP members across the globe feel the same, given the opportunity. As more and more LEAP Scholars are hopefully chosen to participate and contribute to future events with partner forces, I have no doubt that our allies, sister services, and the rest of the world will understand why we can call ourselves America’s secret weapon.”