Military to feature aerial, artillery assets in Ilocos

THE Armed Forces will feature some of its aerial and artillery assets during live fire and urban operations exercises in Ilocos Norte on Wednesday.

AFP chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr is due to witness the drills which are being held under the ongoing Dagat, Langit at Lupa (DAGITPA) exercise among Army, Air Force and Navy personnel.

The drills will be held at the headquarters of the 4th Marine Brigade in Camp Cape Bojeador in Burgos, Ilocos Norte, the military said.

The military said the Air Force will utilize several of its assets during the drills, particularly A-29B Super Tucano light attack aircraft, AW-109 multi-purpose helicopters, and a Hermes 900 unmanned aerial vehicle.

The Army, meanwhile, will use its autonomous truck-mounted Howitzer system 155 mm self-propelled howitzers and M119 howitzers.

The Philippine Marines, a unit under the Philippine Navy, will be using its Soltan M71 M119 howitzers.

“It (exercise) underscores the importance of interoperability among our ground, sea and air assets during combined combat operations,” said military said in a statement.

“It seeks to test our service members’ maneuver warfare skills and fortify their capabilities in fighting together,” it added.

It said the drills also seek to “develop a high level of readiness and responsiveness among soldiers” and enhance “the relationship between the services by enabling troops to work together towards accomplishing a common goal.”

The 12-day DAGITPA exercise opened on Monday last week, involving 1,500 personnel. The annual exercise is focused on territorial defense, maritime security and counter-terrorism.

During the opening ceremony, Brawner said DAGITPA “will fortify our territorial defense posture, sharpen our external security capabilities and respond to emerging threats with unparalleled precision.”

Brawner urged the participating troops to take seriously the DAGITPA because the military may face a “formidable competitor or adversary anytime in the future.”

In another military exercise, an official said the United Kingdom may soon become an actual participant in “Kamandag (Kaagapay Ng Mga Mandirigma Ng Dagat),” a territorial defense drill between Philippine and United