Photo By Cpl. Shaltiel Dominguez | Philippine Army Brig. Gen. Glorioso V. Miranda, commander of 7th Infantry Division and...... read more read more
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FORT RAMON MAGSAYSAY, PHILIPPINES – Philippine and U.S. Army soldiers with the Philippine 7th Infantry Division and U.S. 25th Infantry Division held a ceremony marking the beginning of the field training exercise here May 5 as part of Balikatan 2014.
Philippine Army Col. Rodolfo B. Lavadia Jr., Philippine Army Commander, Combined Armed Forces, and U.S. Army Lt. Col. David Zinn , commanding officer of 3rd Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment, 25th ID, and United States Army Commander, CARFOR, addressed the staff and leaders, by detailing the deep and storied relationship between both nations’ armed forces, dating as far back as the second World War. They continued to explain the importance of working “shoulder-to-shoulder” with each other to improve both forces’ warfighting capabilities.
Balikatan is a bilateral training exercise between the Philippines and U.S. designed to foster cooperation and interoperability between the two nations’ armed forces through training as well as humanitarian aid and disaster relief projects, and to increase stability and security within the region.
“The exercise is broad in scale because it not only involves the Army, but the Marines, Navy and Air Force as well,” said Zinn. “It’s a strong component of the alliance that exists between our armed forces.”
Among the activities to be conducted by both nations are civil-military operations, jungle survival training and combined arms assault exercises. Units with the 25th ID will provide knowledge, experience and expertise to their counterparts from May 5 – 15, with the final week culminating in a live-fire, combined-arms exercise, together with the Philippine Army’s 20th Battalion, 8th Infantry Division.
“We have a deep history in the Philippines,” said Zinn, of Clarkesburg, W.Va. “We were here 70 years ago when we fought shoulder-to-shoulder with our Philippine partners to liberate Luzon from the Japanese so it’s really an honor to be back again in this exercise standing side-by-side with our counterparts.”
Following the draw-down from Iraq and Afghanistan, U.S. forces may find themselves fighting battles in different environments that require other knowledge and skillsets. Balikatan provides U.S. service members with training and experience operating in a jungle environment with allied foreign military forces.
“This is the 30th year that we’ve conducted Balikatan with the Armed Forces of the Philippines,” said Zinn. “This year is especially important and that’s reflected by President [Barack] Obama’s visit (before) the start of the exercise.”
As a significant theater security cooperation exercise in the Pacific, Balikatan provides an opportunity to demonstrate Philippine-U.S. commitment to enhancing military-to-military relations and improving interoperability between both forces.
For BK14, the Philippine Army sent its “Battalion of Excellence” or what it considers as its best unit, the 20th Infantry Battalion, 8th Infantry Division, to participate in the training.
“For this year, the battalion of excellence is the 20th Infantry Battalion,” said Philippine Army Capt. Arturo S. Balgos Jr., operations chief with Training Doctrine Command. “The exercise is important for them because it improves their combat capabilities and their interoperability with the U.S. Army.”
At the end of the day, the exercise provides the soldiers involved with opportunities not only to train, but to foster long-lasting relationships and partnerships with each other.
“While we’re very proud of the military training portion of the exercise, we’re equally proud of what we’re doing to understand the Philippine culture and engage their community,” said Zinn. “It’s really something that my soldiers will walk away with, and remember for the rest of their lives, their friendship with the Philippine people.”
| Date Taken: | 05.08.2014 |
| Date Posted: | 05.08.2014 06:07 |
| Story ID: | 129128 |
| Location: | PALAYAN CITY, PH |
| Web Views: | 303 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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