The Philippine Army and the U.S. Army Pacific concluded the 20-day Salaknib Exercise 2022 at the 1st Brigade Combat Team headquarters, Fort Magsaysay, Nueva Ecija on March 24, 2022.
Salaknib—which means “shield” in Ilocano—is an annual combined exercise aimed at enhancing the Philippine Army and U.S. Army Pacific’s capacity and interoperability across the spectrum of military operations, while also strengthening alliance between the two nations.
“Over the years, the Philippine Army and the U.S. Army Pacific have remained united through the long-standing bilateral relations in pursuit of the common goal of maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific region,” Commanding General, Philippine Army (CGPA) Lt. Gen. Romeo S. Brawner, Jr., who served as the event’s guest of honor and speaker, said.
Around 2,200 Philippine Army and U.S. Army Pacific soldiers trained side-by-side in this year’s edition of Salaknib, consisting of multiple field training and battalion-level staff exercises, combined live fire exercises, subject matter expert exchanges, medical training, and the first-validated U.S. Jungle Operations Training Course in the Philippines.
The two armies also shared best practices on functional areas such as fire support, communications, engineering, counter improvised explosive devices, and military intelligence that enabled troops to develop interoperability. Simulated war-fighting scenarios meanwhile enhanced both armies' defense readiness.
Philippine Army troops from 1BCT, Training and Doctrine Command, Army Support Command, 51st Engineering Brigade, Civil-Military Operations Regiment, Army Artillery Regiment, Army Aviation Regiment, Armor Division, Light Reaction Regiment, Special Forces Regiment (Airborne), and First Scout Ranger Regiment took part in this year's edition of Salaknib.
Photo: Sgt Cesar Lopez Philippine Army/ OACPA
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