US, Philippine soldiers hold air assault exercise in Nueva Ecija

Troops from the Philippine Army (PA) and US Army Pacific (USARPAC) conducted an air assault exercise in Fort Magsaysay, Nueva Ecija from April 4 to 5, the PA said Wednesday.

In a statement, the PA said they captured their objectives through the company-level combined air assault by its 1st Brigade Combat Team and US’ 3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division.

Also, the exercise tested the interoperability of both armies through combined joint special operations forces reconnaissance; chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and explosives; counter-improvised explosive device; site exploitation; and military operations on urban terrain.

Photos courtesy of the Philippine Army.

They also conducted a nighttime sling load training where they rigged up a piece of equipment onto Chinook and Black Hawk choppers with sling sets, cargo nets, and other specially designed equipment.

Sling loading equipment allows units to prevent obstacles that may hinder them from immediately reaching their target destination, the PA said.

On March 28, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the United States military kicked off their 37th Balikatan Exercise, which culminates on April 8.

With around 8,900 Filipino and American soldiers participating, this year's joint exercise is the largest-ever Balikatan, the AFP said. —LBG, GMA News