PH Army troops sharpen skills in US-led exercise in Hawaii
Philippine Army (PA) personnel trained side-by-side with their counterparts from the United States Army during the Joint Pacific Multinational Readiness Center (JPMRC) Exercise in Oahu, Hawaii recently.
The training bolstered the interoperability and partnership between the two Philippines and United States armies, Col. Xerxes Trinidad, PA spokesperson, said Friday, Nov. 18.
“The JPMRC Exercise saw the participation of Philippine Army troops in domain training challenges in conditions that accurately mimic operational challenges that they may face in a crisis or conflict,” Trinidad said.
The JPMRC Exercise is a multilateral training geared at enhancing the unit readiness, interoperability, and warfighting systems of participating forces amid the challenging jungle environments in the Indo-Pacific region.
“Supported by the National Training Center and the Joint Pacific Multinational Readiness Center, the JPMRC rotations provide realistic training opportunities that portray peer and near-peer threats for regional combat training center rotations in Hawaii, Alaska and an exportable capability throughout the Indo-Pacific,” according to the US Army.
The war games were held at various training grounds in Oahu from Oct. 20 to Nov. 16. There were 103 Army personnel who trained with around 6,000 US Army troops from the 25th Infantry Division and 8,400 service members from the US joint components for the event.
The PA contingent was consisted of personnel from the 91st Brigade Reconnaissance Company of the 1st Brigade Combat Team who exercised with the US Army’s 5th Security Force Assistance Brigade Maneuver Assistance Team and 25th Infantry Division at the Oahu East Range, South Range, and Kahuku Training Area.
The PA also sent a team of doctrine writers and researchers to capture the operational aspect and best practices employed by the US Army during the JPMRC Exercise, Trinidad noted.
“The lessons learned and insights gained during the course of the training exercise will serve as the basis for the crafting of doctrines related to the establishment of the Combat Readiness Training Center in Fort Magsaysay, Nueva Ecija,” Trinidad noted.
There were also participants from Thailand and Indonesia, and observers from other nations namely Australia, French Caledonia, Bangladesh, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Mongolia, New Zealand, and Singapore, according to Maj. Gen. Joe Ryan, commanding general of the 25th Infantry Division of US Army.