The Manila Times
FORT MAGSAYSAY, Nueva Ecija — The Philippine Army (PA) will be showcasing its newly procured assets — including tanks, self-propelled artillery, and truck-mounted Howitzer systems — acquired through the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Modernization Program at this year’s Salaknib 2026. The Philippine Army, in collaboration with the US Army Pacific, Japan Ground Self-Defense Force, Australian Army and the New Zealand Army, will participate in the Philippines-United States Joint and Combined Exercise Salaknib 2026, which opened on Monday at Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija and will run until April 17 in various training areas in Northern and Central Luzon. “From the Philippine side, we will be utilizing all our newly acquired assets from the AFP modernization. We will get to see the participation of our armor assets like the Ascod tanks, the self-propelled 155 artillery, the Atmos (Autonomous Truck Mounted Howitzer System), AEVs (Armored Escort Vehicles) and all the other items we procured through the AFP modernization,” Maj. Gen. Michael Logico, training commander, told reporters in a briefing. Logico said more assets will be showcased as Salaknib transitions to the annual Balikatan Exercise, which involves joint participation of all military services from the Philippines’ defense partners. Meanwhile, the US army’s capability was at the discretion and request of the PA which were tailored to the training opportunities aligned with the AFP. Salaknib (Ilokano word for “shield”) exercise is an annual exercise of the US and Philippine armies and is part of the bigger annual Balikatan exercises that started in 2016. Over 7,000 troops from the five participating states will train together with over 4,000 US forces coming over — their biggest deployment so far. With the Reciprocal Access Agreement with Japan having entered into force last year, the country will be participating in the Salaknib and Balikatan exercises. Previously, Japan had sent observers to Salaknib and Balikatan. Maj. Gen. Efren Morados, PA vice commander, said soldiers will engage in realistic and demanding training of live fire exercises, aviation operations, command post exercise and large-scale maneuvers all meant to act as “vital rehearsals of real world scenarios.” “They sharpen decision making, validate our doctrines and test the capabilities we have developed through our modernization efforts,” Morados said. The exercise also affirms the enduring alliance between the Philippines and the United States while strengthening ties with like-minded nations like Australia and Japan aimed at deterring aggression supporting the territorial defense thrust of the AFP, Morados said. Maj. Gen. James Bartholomees, commanding general of the 25th Infantry Division of the US Army, said this year’s iteration is an improvement from the previous years because exercises have moved from small unit exchanges to foundational training activities. This year, competencies in training were identified with specific attention to force-on-force, live fire maneuvering and management of new technologies and systems all to build readiness as a combined force.
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