The United States and Philippines held an 8-day long counter terrorism exercise across the Philippines and Hawaii, dubbed "Tempest Wind". The drill sought to perfect inter-operational responses to terrorism events (aircraft hijacking and hostage rescue) from various military and police first responders, tactical operators and command center personnel. “It is now necessary, more than ever, that all countries come together to unite against terrorism and violent extremism. The global war on terror cannot succeed if we do not explore avenues for cooperation and mutual exchanges,” said Philippine’s Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana.
The simulated aircraft hijacking of a DELTA Boeing 767 took place at Clark Air Base, where operators from the Philippine Air Force's 710th Special Operations Wing (SPOW), AFP Joint Special Operations Group (JSOG), and the Philippine National Police's Special Action Force (SAF) used their MARS RDD Elevated Tactics Systems to simultaneously assault multiple aircraft doors to gain entry and neutralize the terrorists.