CITY OF ILAGAN, Isabela (PIA) -- Soldiers from the Philippine Army, 5th Infantry Division and from the Philippine Air Force Tactical Operations Wing Northern Luzon participated the 2023 joint inter-operability military exercises.

The said activity, which is being conducted at the 5th Infantry Division, Philippine Army’s Division Training School (5ID, PA-DTS), aimed to continuously improve their readiness and skills in responding to any threat that may jeopardize the nation’s security and sovereignty.

Public Affairs Office Chief Maj. Rigor Pamittan said the exercise coverage include Command Post Exercises, Subject Matter Expert Exchanges, and Field Training Exercises (FTX). 

He said the SMEEs included a series of topics, including Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance, Air-to-Ground Operations, Close Air Support, Fast Rope Insertion Extraction System Military Free Fall, Hoist, Communication and Support System, and Sustainment Operations.

Meanwhile, the Battle Staff Exercise is focused on problem-action scenarios, which will all be applied to the FTX as a culmination activity.

Maj. Gen. Audrey L Pasia, 5th Infantry Division Commander, who served as the keynote speaker during the opening ceremony said "freedom is never free as he urged the soldiers joining the exercise to never forget their roles as security and defenders of the nation’s sovereignty." 

“Our armed forces exist solely to ensure our nation is safe, so that each and every Filipino can sleep soundly at night, knowing they have guardians at the gate. Let’s focus on interoperability and how can we sustain our joint operations. We can still commit errors or failures here, we can have the redo, but tomorrow we may not have the redo anymore as our failures may mean our defeat, our destruction, and the end of the freedom we do have now,” Pasia said.

The 6-day training exercise which will culminate on September 30, 2023 is being participated in by a total of 836 soldiers from the different units of the Philippine Army which includes the 5th Infantry Division, Army Aviation Regiment, Army Support Command, Training and Doctrine Command, Armor Division, First Scout Ranger Regiment, Special Forces Regiment (Airborne), Light Reaction Regiment, the Army Artillery Regiment, Army Reserve Command and the Philippine Air Force’s Tactical Operations Wing Northern Luzon, 205th Tactical Helicopter Wing, 15th Strike Wing, 5th Fighter Wing, 505th Search and Rescue Group, 710th Special Operations Wing, and 950th Cyberspace and Electronic Warfare Wing, and Tactical Operations Group 2. (MGE / PIA - Isabela)