Philippines, Australian military drills end

March 3, 2018

The Philippines-Australia Army to Army exercises ended on Friday at the headquarters of the 10th Infantry Division at Camp General Manuel T Yan Sr in Mawab, Compostela Valley on Thursday, an Army statement said Saturday.

The exercises, which began on Feb 15 aimed to equip Eastern Mindanao Command units with training on urban warfare.

The drills include urban close combat, search and breach operation, managing combat trauma, communication operation,command and control in urban operation, sniping and counter-sniping and joint fire and airspace deconfliction.

The Australian Defense Force team were composed of six officers and 52 enlisted personnel.

The Philippine group were made up of 257 Filipino soldiers coming from different units of Eastern Mindanao Command.

Major General Noel Clement, commander of the 10ID thanked Australia for being among the countries that helped them during the Marawi crisis, which was marked by urban fighting.

Australian Ambassador to the Philippines Amanda Gorely said the drills is “a clear display of the long standing partnership between Australian Defense Force and Armed Forces of the Philippines."

“It’s been more than 70 years and our Armed Forces continue to work hand in hand in protecting our regions. Australia will always support our allies and neighbors to fight against scourge of terrorism and help protect peace and security that all the people deserve,” Gorely added. Robina Asido/ DMS