The Philippine Army and the United States Army Pacific (USARPAC) will hold a month-long military drill in various areas in Central Luzon in March to enhance their interoperability and as part of their commitment to help each other in times of need.
Lt. Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr., PA Commanding General, said a thorough planning of the "Salaknib" exercise is now being conducted by Filipino soldiers and their American counterparts.
"Salaknib, which means shield in Ilocano, is a testament to our enduring ties with the US Army. It is anchored on the Philippine-US Mutual Defense Treaty and has been ongoing since 2015," he said in a statement Saturday, Jan. 22.
Salaknib is an annual exercise sponsored by the USARPAC and hosted by the Philippine Army. It aims to enhance Philippine and US defense readiness by "developing tactical interoperability and at the same time, showcase the US government’s resolve to fulfill its alliance obligations in the region."
This year's iteration of the Salaknib drills will take place from March 5 to 24. A three-day inspection of Salaknib Exercise training areas in different Central Luzon sites was concluded last Friday.
Brawner said Philippine Army and USARPAC teams inspected the proposed training sites to ensure their availability, suitability, and training-worthiness.
Among those expected to participate in the drills are members of the PA's 1st Brigade Combat Team, Training and Doctrine Command, Army Support Command, 51st Engineer Brigade, Civil-Military Operations Regiment, Army Artillery Regiment, Aviation Regiment, Armor Division, Light Reaction Regiment, Special Forces Regiment, and First Scout Ranger Regiment, training side-by-side with their USARPAC counterparts.
Brawner commended the Salaknib planning team for carrying out a thorough planning process aimed at ensuring the success of the bilateral exercise even amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.
"The conduct of combined training exercises between the Philippine and US armies will capacitate us in effectively dealing with the fast-changing security landscape of the Indo-Pacific region," Brawner said.