Philippine military opens exercises on cyber defense, internal security

October 22 ------ The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on Thursday officially opened its annual unilateral exercise, AFP Joint Exercise (AJEX) DAGIT-PA at the Visayas Command headquarters in Cebu City. “Approximately 1,533 active personnel and 71 reservists will participate in drills that will focus on Territorial Defense, Internal Security Operations, and Cyber Defense operations,” the AFP said in a statement.

DAGIT-PA—which stands for “dagat, langit, lupa”— seeks to enhance AFP’s “land, air and maritime” assets in joint interoperability operations. “AJEX DAGIT-PA integrates our Army, Air Force, Navy, Marine, and Special Operations Forces including the Reserve Force to elevate our operational effectiveness and propel forward our skills and competencies across all mission areas,” Exercise Director Major General Francisco Ariel Felicidario III said.

The soldiers will be trained in air detection and interception, live fire exercise, urban operations, maritime operations, amphibious operations, and cyber defense exercise, according to the AFP. The military will deploy some of its assets for the training including the Army’s light armored vehicles and howitzers; the Navy’s frigate, patrol ship, landing dock, naval helicopters and fixed wing aircraft; the Air Force’ FA-50PH, SF-260 Hermes900, and Black Hawk choppers; and the Marines’ Amphibious Assault Vehicles, and M35 and KM450 trucks.

AFP chief General Jose Faustino Jr. attended the opening ceremony, as well as Visayas Command chief Major General Robert Dauz and deputy commander of AFP Education Training and Doctrine Command (AFPETDC) Commodore Reginald Rapanan. More senior officers from the different participating units joined in the blended opening ceremony through virtual teleconferencing. Most of the activities will be held in the Visayas Command and AFP General Headquarters from November 4 to 18.

THE AFP noted that health protocols in light of COVID-19 will be observed during face-to-face activities. Participants will undergo testing and shall be authorized by medical professionals prior to the training. “Continuous military education and trainings are indispensable to the AFP,” Faustino said. “It is through the conduct of training exercises such as AJEX DAGIT-PA that we can truly guarantee our troops’ competencies and capabilities are enhanced and optimized in order for them to promptly respond to a wide spectrum of combat and non-combat requirements,” he added.

Source: gmanetwork.com