FORT MAGSAYSAY, Nueva Ecija — Troops from the Philippine Army and U.S. Army Pacific conducted recently the 8th iteration of Exercise Salaknib in Fort Magsaysay, Nueva Ecija.

Exercise Salaknib is a series of expert exchanges between Filipino and US soldiers employing tactics and procedures from Jungle Environment and Survival Subject Matter from the Special Forces School.

The training included the Aero Medical Evacuation Subject Matter Expert Exchange between the Army aviators and medical personnel and their US counterparts at Army Aviation Regiment.

Meanwhile, experts on extended-range mortar and javelin, an anti-tank weapon extensively used in the Ukraine crisis, conducted lessons for Filipino soldiers at the SFS. Field artillery personnel from artillery units of both armies likewise held the Counter Unmanned Aerial System SMEE at the headquarters of the Army Artillery Regiment.

The first phase of Exercise Salaknib, which will conclude on 4 April, is an Army-to-Army training between the PA and USARPAC. The ongoing exercises involve around 3,000 soldiers from USARPAC’s 25th Infantry Division and PA’s 5th Infantry Division, 7th Infantry Division and 1st Brigade Combat Team training side by side in a spectrum of military operations. The exercise’s second phase is slated for the second quarter of the year.