03 July 2023, SYDNEY - The Embassy of the Philippines in Canberra congratulates LT Cathleen Joy Cruz of the Philippine Navy who graduated from the Maritime Warfare Officer Course (MWOC) at His Majesty’s Australian Ship (HMAS) Watson at Watson Bay in Sydney, Australia on 23 June 2023.

LT Cruz started her training in January 2022 under the Defence Cooperation Program with Australia. She is one of the first five (5) international students to benefit from the complete Phase III program of the course.

The MWOC is a 2-year training program consisting of four phases to prepare Royal Australian Navy Maritime Warfare Officers for their initial sea duty aboard a naval ship. For international students, MWOC typically comprises three phases during a one-year period without sea exposure in the third phase. For the first time, the program has been extended for another six (6) months to allow international students to complete Phase III with sea exposure. The Philippines along with two (2) students each from Vanuatu and Papua New Guinea are the program's first foreign beneficiaries. ***