PH, US armies train on CBRN, counter-IED ops
The Philippine Army (PA) and the United States Army Pacific (USARPAC) have enhanced their capabilities in responding to chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) threats and improvised explosive devices (IED) during the ongoing Balikatan Exercises held in Fort Magsaysay, Nueva Ecija.
In a statement Sunday, April 3, Col. Xerxes Trinidad, PA spokesperson, said the Filipino army soldiers and their American counterparts held a four-day CBRN exercise which was geared at honing the interoperability and readiness of the troops in responding to such threats. The drill culminated last Friday, April 1.
“The exercise was among the PA-USARPAC combined interoperability drills that cover a spectrum of military operations,” Trinidad shared.
During the drill, the PA’s CBRN Battalion and USARPAC personnel held lectures and practical exercises on mitigating and responding to CBRN attack scenarios.
Meanwhile, PA and USARPAC forces also shared lessons in recognizing and protecting themselves from all types of IEDs during the four-day Counter-Improvised Explosive Device (C-IED) combined interoperability exercise.
Personnel from the PA’s 1st Brigade Combat Team, PA Support Command’s Explosive Ordnance Disposal Battalion, and USARPAC’s Asia Pacific C-IED Center, G34 Protection Directorate facilitated the lessons on identifying and defeating insurgent IED tactics, techniques, and procedures.
This could be crucial as the military is often victimized by IED explosions from the communist groups and local terrorists.
The drills were part of this year’s Balikatan which runs from March 28 to April 8.
This year’s Balikatan is the biggest iteration of the Philippine-led annual drills with around 8,900 Filipino and American servicemen participating in various exercises across Luzon to improve both militaries’ interoperability and readiness to respond to security threats and crises.