Reuters
Date: May 14, 2015
By: Tim Kelly

The U.S. Marine Corps is bringing together foreign commanders from

U.S. military forces aboard Amphibious Assault Vehicles (AAV) manuevre on South China Sea near the shore of San Antonio, Zambales during the annual “Balikatan” (shoulder-to-shoulder) war games with Filipino soldiers in northern Philippines in this April 21, 2015 file photo. REUTERS/Erik De Castro/Files

amphibious forces deployed mostly in the Asia-Pacific for a conference aimed at taking steps to integrate operations, with China excluded from the event, according to officials and planning documents.

The effort centers on a first-of-its-kind conference between the Marine Corps and military officials from 23 countries that opens in Hawaii on Monday. More than half the nations attending are from Asia, including some embroiled in territorial disputes with China such as Japan, the Philippines and Vietnam.

On the agenda will be amphibious assault tactics, including ship-to-shore assaults, and a demonstration of shore landing tactics, said a USMC spokesman in Hawaii.     [FULL  STORY]