By Priam F. Nepomuceno
Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Voltaire Gazmin (at center, with blue cap and checkered polo) takes a closer look at the US HIMARS after the “Balikatan” live-fire exercises at the Crow Valley Gunnery Range in Capas, Tarlac on Thursday (April 14, 2016). HIMARS is short for High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, a US light multiple rocket launcher mounted on a standard Army medium tactical vehicle truck frame. (PNA photo by Joey O. Razon)
MANILA (PNA) – This year’s “Balikatan” exercises are different from the others as both American and Filipino units have focused a lot of efforts in providing higher level of command-and-control, a ranking US military announced Thursday.
“(The) ‘Balikatan’ this year was a little bit unique and that we focused a lot of efforts at the higher level of command-and-control so what you saw here today are small unit leaders are working very closely together,” US “Balikatan” exercise director Lt. Gen. John Toolan said.
He was referring to Thursday’s live-fire exercises at Crow Valley, Capas, Tarlac which demonstrated “combined-arms” operations between the two militaries.
Toolan also said both the Philippines and the US are also working to try and tie the command-and-control of forces throughout the entire country.
“And I think we made a lot of progress there,” he added.
Toolan stressed that this year’s “Balikatan” exercise is a sort of a graduation exercise as a lot of interesting things were done during the two-week maneuvers which started last April 4 and will end on Friday.
“This year we have done a lot of interesting things, we have operated in a distributed method with forces, small forces with capabilities to bring lethal fires to bear, on the target, we have actually worked very closely with the headquarters, at the command-and-control level so that we’ve built in command-and-control and I think that the coordination mechanism (will allow to work) in a combined fashion,” he added. (PNA)