12-day Army, Air Force, Navy interoperability exercise ends

MANILA, Philippines — The military officially ended yesterday its 12-day training program aimed at enhancing inter-operability among the Philippine Army, Philippine Air Force and Philippine Navy.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines Joint Exercises Dagat-Langit-Lupa (AJEX DAGITPA) began on Nov. 6 with various activities focusing on territorial defense and external security, among others.

Defense Senior Undersecretary Irineo Espino, representing Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro, led the closing rites at Camp Aguinaldo.

He called on participants to continuously develop and cultivate a self-reliant and strong organization for the attainment of a credible defense posture.

“In the past weeks, you’ve trained intensely. I am sure you’ve learned and tried a lot of skills that can help further boost and strengthen the Armed Forces,” Espino said in remarks in Filipino.

Earlier this week, the AFP test fired some of its new artillery pieces in Burgos, Ilocos Norte.

Live fire exercises were held as part of the AJEX-DAGITPA 2023, which this year included the Philippine Coast Guard and Philippine National Police.

AFP public affairs office chief Col. Xerxes Trinidad said Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. witnessed some of the activities that featured the military’s newly acquired artillery of the Philippine Army and Philippine Marine Corps as well as the PAF’s AW109 and A-29B Super Tucano aircraft.

At the live fire exercise, Trinidad said the PMC personnel fired the Soltam M-71, a 155 mm 39 caliber towed howitzer manufactured by Israeli company Soltam Systems.