17 May 2024
Soldiers from 1st Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment (1RAR) exemplified the meaning of the word ‘balikatan’ while training with counterparts from the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and US Army.
Meaning ‘shoulder to shoulder’ in Tagalog, Exercise Balikatan involved 1RAR soldiers participating in a challenging series of training exercises spread across the Philippines archipelago.
Soldiers participated in urban building clearances, jungle operations training and helocasting.
Commanding Officer 1RAR Lieutenant Colonel Brent Hughes said Exercise Balikatan integrated a variety of Australia’s warfighting capabilities with Filipino and US partners.
“Our aircraft were coordinating strike platforms in the sky, while our soldiers were doing tough, warfighting-focused training in the jungle and in urban settings,” Lieutenant Colonel Hughes said.
“The Philippines and US forces are some of our closest partners and friends, so we seek out any opportunity to work with them and build our relationship and interoperability.”
1RAR soldiers deployed to the AFP training facility of Fort Magsaysay shared their skills with Filipino soldiers during urban clearance training in a disused multi-storey military hospital.
A short distance away, soldiers from the three nations participated in helocast training. Flying aboard a US Army CH-47 Chinook helicopter, members of the joint team plunged into a reservoir in quick succession as they flew just metres above the water.
Commander of Charlie Company, 1RAR, Major Lindsay Pritchard, said the facilities at Fort Magsaysay were excellent.
“Their complexity really enhances the training opportunities for all the soldiers that are participating,” Major Pritchard said.
“To represent Australia’s commitment to peace and security in the Philippines has been fantastic.”
Sixty kilometres to the south at Camp Tecson, 1RAR soldiers participated in jungle operations training conducted by the AFP’s First Scout Ranger Regiment. The training included jungle survival and tracking skills as well as instruction in Pekiti-Tirsia Kali, a traditional close-quarters fighting technique that focuses on edged, impact and improvised weapons.
Platoon commander Lieutenant Isaac Jarvinen said the training had been challenging but rewarding.
“The AFP Scout Rangers are extremely professional and we’ve enjoyed the opportunity to get to know a different culture and see how they work through things,” Lieutenant Jarvinen said.
“And in turn, the Scout Rangers have a high opinion of 1RAR and want to work more with us.”
