Philippine, Australian armies hold joint drills in Mindanao

The Philippine Army and the Australian Army are holding their first joint field training exercise in Mindanao, named 'Kasangga 2025-1', to improve their warfighting capabilities and strengthen defense ties.

The bilateral drill, which will conclude on June 24, 2025, at Camp Kibaritan in Bukidnon, aims to enhance interoperability between the two forces.

Named after the Filipino word for 'ally', the exercise involves three platoons from the Philippine Army's 4th and 10th Infantry Divisions and the Combat Engineer Regiment, alongside Australian Army personnel.

Philippine Army Commanding General Lt. Gen. Roy M. Galido stated that this exercise signifies a major step in bilateral defense cooperation and reinforces their shared goal of ensuring Indo-Pacific regional security.

The training covers critical areas such as jungle and urban operations, breaching techniques, tactical combat casualty care, jungle survival, and mobility, counter-mobility, and reconnaissance operations.

These simulated real-world combat scenarios are designed to boost the troops' operational readiness and foster a deeper understanding of each other's combat methods.