By Priam Nepomuceno
MANILA – The Philippine Army (PA) and its Australian counterparts on Tuesday said the month-long “Kasangga” 2026-1 has formally started on May 25 in Camarines Sur as part of ongoing efforts to enhance interoperability between the two services.
PA spokesperson Col. Louie Dema-ala, at a press briefing in Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City, said the “Kasangga” was opened at the 9th Infantry Division Grandstand of Camp Elias Angeles in Barangay San Jose in Pili town.
“The month-long bilateral exercise, conducted in partnership with the Australian Army, aims to strengthen interoperability, enhance command and control capabilities, and improve combined arms operations among the participating forces,” he added.
Dema-ala said “Kasangga” training activities include intelligence operations, movement and maneuver, fires support, civil-military operations, sustainment, medical operations, jungle warfare, and force protection.
The PA spokesperson added that a total of 278 Filipino troopers from the 83rd Infantry Battalion, 9th Division Training School, 565th Engineer Construction Battalion, 9th Field Artillery Battalion, and 21st Cavalry Company, will be taking part in the month-long drills.
Meanwhile, the Australian Army deployed 86 personnel, he added.
“Marking their first-ever participation in Kasangga, the Philippine Air Force and the Philippine Navy respectively deployed 18 and 22 personnel,” Dema-ala said.
The first “Kasangga” took place in the Bicol Region in November 2024, involving Filipino and Australian troopers.
Dema-ala said the successful conduct of the initial exercise paved the way for expanded training engagements and strengthened military partnership between the two nations.
“Kasangga,” which means “ally” or “partner” in Filipino, includes training scenarios that will challenge the participating troops’ skills and expertise while enhancing their knowledge of each other’s tactics, techniques and procedures.
Dema-ala said the regular bilateral training exercise also supports the Army’s active shift to external security operations.
Coastal defense capability boost
At the same press conference, Philippine Navy (PN) spokesperson Captain Marissa Martinez said Japan’s Type 88 surface-to-ship missile systems, which were successfully test-fired during the “Balikatan” exercises, could be a valuable addition to the country’s coastal defense capabilities.
“I would not delve on the particular tech specification of it, but when we talk of coastal defense, we need long-range. We also need mid-range. And all of these are taken into account in our capability, in our modernization efforts of the Armed Forces,” Martinez said, adding that security challenges always evolve. (PNA)
