The Philippine Army (PA) and the United States Army have finished the first-ever US-validated jungle operations training course as part of this year’s Salaknib Exercise at Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija, the military said Saturday, March 26.

Around 100 troops from the 3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team (3IBCT) of the US Army’s 25th Infantry Division (25ID) and 91st Brigade Reconnaissance Company (91BRC) of the Philippine Army’s 1st Brigade Combat Team (1BCT) participated in the eleven-day course which culminated last March 24.

Col. Xerxes Trinidad, PA spokesperson, said the course focused on jungle tactics and operations and was facilitated by subject matter experts from the PA’s Special Forces Regiment (Airborne) and instructors from the US Army’s Lightning Academy.

“Participating troops learned lessons on jungle skills assessment, land navigation, communication, patrol techniques, tactical combat casualty care, mobility, combat tracking, counter improvised explosive device, waterborne operations and jungle survival that culminated in a comprehensive application exercise,” Trinidad said.

Meanwhile, Maj. Gen. Joseph Ryan, commander of the US Army 25ID, donned the US Army jungle tab to the Filipino and American troops who completed the jungle operations training course.

The Salaknib Exercise is a Philippine Army-led, US Army Pacific-sponsored bilateral drill that is designed to enhance the US and Philippines’ army capacity and interoperability across the spectrum of military operations.

This year’s iteration of the Salaknib Exercise began from March 5 and lasted up to March 24.