TULOY tuloy na ang taunang pagsasanib puwersa ng Philippine Army at U.S Army para palakasin at linangin ang kanilang kasanayan at interoperability sa pamamagitan ng “Salaknib 2022”.
Ito ay matapos na maisapinal ng Philippine Army at US Army ang kakailanganing training sites kung saan gaganapin ang joint army exercises sa ilang lugar sa Central Luzon.
Pinapurihan ni Philippine Army, Commanding General (CGPA) Lt. Gen. Romeo S. Brawner, Jr. ang bumubuo ng Salaknib planning team na sa kabila ng nararanasang COVID-19 pandemics ay all-set na ang nasabing bilateral exercise.
“Salaknib, which means shield in Ilocano, is a testament to our enduring ties with the US Army. It is anchored on the Philippine-US Mutual Defense Treaty and has been ongoing since 2015. The conduct of combined training exercises between the Philippine and US armies will capacitate us in effectively dealing with the fast-changing security landscape of the Indo-Pacific region,” ani Lt. Gen. Brawner.
Nabatid na nagsagawa ng tatlong araw ng site inspections ang Office of the Chief of Staff for Education and Training, OG8, sa pakikipagtulungan ng United States Army Pacific (USARPAC).
Ayon kay Philippine Army Spokesperson Col. Xerxes Trinidad, lubhang mahalaga ang inspection para matiyak ang availability, suitability, at training-worthiness ng mga gagamiting training ground.
Layunin ng bilateral exercise na gaganapin mula Marso 5 hanggang Marso 24, 2022 na palakasin ang Philippine and US defense readiness gaya ng tactical interoperability.
Inihayag ni Col Trinidad na kabilang sa Army units na sasabak sa nasabing joint exercises ay ang 1st Brigade Combat Team, Training and Doctrine Command, Army Support Command, 51st Engineer Brigade, Civil-Military Operations Regiment, Army Artillery Regiment, Aviation Regiment, Armor Division, Light Reaction Regiment, Special Forces Regiment, at First Scout Ranger Regiment kasama ang kanilang USARPAC counterparts.VERLIN RUIZ