The Philippine Army (PA) and the Australian Defence Force (ADF) concluded Exercise Carabaroo, a bilateral training which sought to enhance their combined arms capabilities, in Darwin, Australia on Monday, Sept. 5.

Around 150 troops from the PA’s 1st Brigade Combat Team, First Scout Ranger Regiment, and Special Forces Regiment (Airborne) trained alongside their Australian counterparts at the Robertson Barracks and Mount Bundey Training Area in Australia for the Exercise Carabaroo.

Col. Xerxes Trinidad, PA spokesperson, said the exercise “bolstered participating troops’ interoperability in a complex environment.” Personnel from the United States Marine Corps also joined the Filipino and Australian armies during the month-long training.

The Exercise Carabaroo formed part of the Australian Army’s “Exercise Predator’s Run,” which was a multinational training activity that simulated littoral combined arms maneuvers in a large-scale force-on-force environment.

The Exercise Carabaroo was held in parallel with the Exercise Southern Tiger which was participated in by Australian and Malaysian troops; and Exchange Program Kartikaburra which was participated in by Australian and Indonesian troops.

Personnel from the United States Marine Corps also joined the Filipino and Australian armies during the month-long Carabaroo training.

The Philippines and Australia have forged a strong military cooperation in recent decades. The two countries have signed four security deals namely the 1995 Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperative Defense Activities; the 2012 Visiting Forces Agreement; the 2015 Comprehensive Partnership Agreement; and the 2021 Mutual Logistics Agreement.

Relatedly, the US Marine Corps expressed interest to establish a stronger alliance with the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).

This was emphasized during the courtesy visit of Gen. David Berger, Commandant of the US Marine Corps, on Lt. Gen. Bartolome Vicente Bacarro, AFP Chief of Staff, at the AFP General Headquarters (GHQ) in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City on Monday.

Berger was hosted by Vice Adm. Rommel Anthony SD Reyes, the Deputy Chief of Staff of AFP, who represented Bacarro.

“Both sides expressed the significance of nurturing the long-standing alliance and relationship between the Philippines and United States to anticipate and address ongoing challenges in maritime defense security in the region, and strengthen military interoperability between both countries,” said Col. Jorry Baclor, chief of AFP public affairs office.

Berger and Reyes also agreed to continue the bilateral exercises between Manila and Washington such as the Balikatan and Kamandag exercises.