The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) has achieved its target of enhancing the interoperability and readiness in joint operations of its major service commands as it concluded the AFP Joint Exercise (AJEX) “DAGIT-PA” on Friday, Nov. 18.
Lt. Gen. Bartolome Vicente Bacarro, AFP Chief of Staff, led the closing ceremony of the exercise at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City.
“The execution of the joint exercises has effectively up-skilled the men and women of the AFP and upgraded organizational capabilities,” Bacarro said.
The AJEX “DAGIT-PA” refers to the annual unilateral exercise involving the major service commands of the AFP namely the Philippine Army (PA), Philippine Navy (PN), and Philippine Air Force (PAF).
The term DAGIT-PA is coined from the words “dagat, langit, lupa” or “sea, sky, and land” which represent the areas of operation of the service commands.
Around 1,500 military personnel participated in the exercise that was held in various areas in the Western Command (WESCOM) area of operation in Palawan and at Camp Aguinaldo since Nov. 7.
For nearly two weeks, the participants completed numerous drills that “improved interoperability and readiness for deployment in the joint operational environment at any given time,” Bacarro noted.
Among the events were table-top exercise at Camp Aguinaldo; staff exercise and cyber defense exercise in WESCOM; and field training exercises such as air defense operations, counter-air operations, maritime security operations, amphibious operations, combined arms and littoral live fire exercise, and unconventional warfare and counter-terrorism operations in Palawan.
“From the planning and coordination to the execution, the AJEX DAGIT-PA 2022 was a success and has attained its objectives,” said Brig. Gen. Marvin Licudine, commander of the AFP Education and Training Doctrine Command (ETDC) and the exercise director.
Licudine said the skills learned by the troops can be used in crisis planning and territorial defense operations.