PH Army, USARPAC vow to beef up defense capabilities

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MANILA — Officials of the Philippine Army and the United States Army Pacific (USARPAC) on Wednesday discussed ways to further improve defense capabilities.

Lt. Col. Ramon Zagala, in a message Thursday, said the 8th Executive Steering Group Meeting in Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City also aims to strengthen bilateral relations between the PA and the USARPAC.

During the meeting, Army commander Lt. Gen. Gilbert Gapay and USARPAC deputy commanding general Maj. Gen. John Johnson, together with the other delegates discussed how the two armies will strengthen their defense capabilities through future engagements.

“Everything we do here should support mutual defense training and demonstrate the commitment that we have for each other. We learn together, we become more capable and we build trust,” Johnson said during the session.

Meanwhile, Gapay reiterated PA’s desire to boost its aviation, air defense, airborne, combat engineer, fires, sustainment operations, and cybersecurity capabilities as well as its combined arms training methods and doctrine.

On the other hand, Johnson mentioned their gains particularly in expanding USARPAC’s operational experience in an archipelagic environment such as the Philippines. Interoperability functions and training gaps learned from previous exercises such as the “Salaknib” army-to-army drills were also discussed.

“Salaknib” was first conducted in 2015 and transformed into an Army training exchange that aims to enhance the skill and competencies of the participants in counter-terrorist operations.

“We have come prepared and determined to plan out the next actions that will further strengthen our alliance. I am confident that we are moving in the right direction towards ensuring that the alliance remains strong, dynamic, and relevant,” Gapay added.