‘Kasangga’ military exercise underway

More than 150 soldiers from the Philippine Army (PA) and the Australian Defense Force (ADF) gathered in Tanay, Rizal on Monday, May 15, for the commencement of the Philippine-Australia Army-to-Army Exercise (PAAAE) “Kasangga” 23-2.

A total of 114 soldiers from the PA 2nd Infantry Division (ID) have started training alongside 43 Australian soldiers during the bilateral exercise which will culminate on June 23.

Col. Xerxes Trinidad, PA spokesperson, explained that Exercise Kasangga 23-2 is an annual bilateral training exercise that is anchored on the Philippines-Australia Defense Engagement Plan for July 2022 to July 2023.

He added that the exercise seeks to bolster the Army-to-Army ties and interoperability between the two ground forces through a number of drills.

“They will train together in urban operations combat tracking; jungle warfare and survival training; longrange marksmanship; tactical combat casualty care; sensitive site exploitation, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance operations; and small unit leader’s training through an exchange of tactics, techniques, and procedures,” Trinidad said on Tuesday, May 16.

Australian troops are set to learn jungle warfare and survival skills from the 2nd ID soldiers, who are known for their moniker “Jungle Fighters.” The 2nd ID is the PA’s primary infantry unit which specializes in jungle warfare.

Meanwhile, 2nd ID troops are expected to take lessons in urban operations from the ADF soldiers.

The kick off ceremony was witnessed by Australian Defense Attaché to the Philippines Col. Paul Joseph Barta and Brig. Gen. Augusto V. Villareal, 2nd ID assistant division commander.