The Philippine Army (PA) and Australian Army started Exercise Carabaroo 2023 at the 1st Combat Engineer Regiment (CER) Headquarters, Robertson Barracks, Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia on August 26, 2023.
The bilateral exercise will be conducted across Gunn Point, Darwin City, Robertson Barracks, Melville Island, Tiwi Islands, and Channel Island. It aims at enhancing and increasing survivability, lethality, command, and control within the urban environment while enhancing the interoperability of multinational combined arms teams.
PA observers and evaluators will also study the best practices and operational aspects of the exercise which would help the Army improve its combined arms operation. The PA’s participation in Exercise Carabaroo 2023 will also strengthen its security and defense cooperation with the Australian Defence Force and other partners in the Indo-Pacific region.
Carabaroo derived its name from the combination of the Philippine carabao and the Australian kangaroo - a bilateral exercise that conducts dismounted infantry operations in urban terrain. Exercise Carabaroo 2023 includes 138 soldiers from the Philippines who will train side-by-side with around 2,500 troops from partner nations.
Photos by Cpl. John Michael S. Manuel, 12CMOBn and Pvt Alpha Bierneza, OACPA