Photo By Spc. Carleeann Smiddy | U.S. Army Capt. Josh Walker, an advisor assigned to the Engineer Advisor Team 6520,...... read more read more
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FORT MAGSAYSAY, Philippines - U.S. Army advisors assigned to Engineer Advisor Team 6520, 5th Battalion, 54th Security Force Assistance Regiment, 54th Security Forces Assistance Brigade (SFAB), conduct a tactical movement class for the Philippines Army’s 501st Combat Engineer Regiment on Fort Magsaysay, Philippines, June 3, 2024.
SFAB units are U.S. Army units designed to train, advise, and assist allied and partner nations. They are divided into four highly trained Soldier teams, which are among the top tactical leaders in the U.S. Army.
Engineer Advisor Team 6520 came to the Philippines to support, convert, and train the Philippine Army’s construction regiment into the 501st Combat Engineer Regiment.
“They are a new combat engineer unit who just converted from construction,” said U.S. Army Capt. Josh Walker, an advisor assigned to the Engineer Advisor Team 6520. “We’re going over many basic combat engineer tasks, and today, we are focusing on squad tactics.”
The Engineer Advisor Team taught the newly formed combat engineer regiment various classes, focusing on basic soldiering skills and technical and tactical squad formations and movements.
“They have been very focused on what they call ‘hater,’ essentially an emergency response, for as long as they have been around,” said Walker. “They are moving toward a more conventional style to include a lot more combat engineering and kind of mirroring a lot of what we do in the U.S. We are basically setting a lot of the foundations to help them progress and get them a little closer to where we are all on the same page.”
The Philippines Army’s 501st Combat Engineer Regiment plays a key role in further developing the army's versatility and mobility.
“The importance of establishing a combat engineer regiment is that the Armed forces of the Philippines are shifting its focus from internal security operations to territorial defense, and the combat engineer plays a vital role in providing mobility, counter mobility, and survivability to the supported units but not only in combat operations,” said Philippine Army Capt. Sam Ordillano, 8th Combat Engineer Company Commander. “The combat engineer also plays a big role in disaster response operations. Therefore, a combat engineer unit must cover the whole Philippines.”
Bilateral training is important for both countries because it facilitates the making of friendships, the building of trust, and an overall sense of preparedness.
“This training has been very helpful to us as we gain first-hand knowledge from our allies that we can apply to our settings so when the situation demands, the synchronization and interoperability will be easier,” said Ordillano, “It is very important that we train with our allies even during the time of peace so that when the situation demands that we can work together so we will be coordinated, have good synchronization, and good interoperability.”
| Date Taken: | 06.05.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 06.09.2024 06:39 |
| Story ID: | 473448 |
| Location: | FORT MAGSAYSAY, PH |
| Web Views: | 242 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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