The Philippine Army (PA) and the United States Army have recently concluded a joint military training to enhance their warfighting skills and interoperability in Nueva Ecija.

The PA’s 7^th Infantry Division (7ID) and the US Army’s 5^th Security Force Assistance Brigade (5SFAB) ended the Philippines-United States (PH-US) Warfighting Functions Exchange 2023-1 (WFE 23-1) last March 3 at 7ID headquarters in Fort Magsaysay, Nueva Ecija.

“The two-week training developed the competencies of both forces across the warfighting functions domain focusing on air assault operations, troop leading procedure, group organization, defensive operations, and engagement area development,” Col. Xerxes Trinidad, PA spokesperson, said on Monday, March 6.

The training kicked off on Feb. 20.

Participants included 7ID’s 71^st Division Reconnaissance Company (71DRC); Alpha Company of 99^th Infantry Battalion (99IB), 1^st Brigade Combat Team (1BCT); and Alpha Company of 103^rd Infantry Battalion (103rdIB) from the 5^th Infantry Division (5ID).

Col. Harold Anthony Pascua, said the US Army’s 5SAB were “hands on and participative” in imparting their warfighting skills to bolster the capabilities of their Filipino counterparts.

Meanwhile, 5SFAB Maneuver Adviser Team Captain Bradley Dunn thanked the Filipino soldiers for supporting and cooperating with them to enhance the American servicemen’s defense readiness and tactical interoperability.

The WFE was seen as a gated training for the upcoming Salaknib and Balikatan exercises, two bilateral trainings between the Philippines and US.

Salaknib (shield in Ilocano) is an annual combined exercise between the PA and US Army which aims to strengthen their interoperability in a spectrum of military operations. This year’s iteration of the exercise will be held from March to June.

Meanwhile, Balikatan (shoulder-to-shoulder) is the largest bilateral military exercise between the Philippines and United States. The 38^th version of the exercise will be held next month.