AAR hosts PHL-US 'indirect fire operation' meet

From the Philippine News Agency (Apr 13): AAR hosts PHL-US 'indirect fire operation' meet

The Army Artillery Regiment (AAR) formally opened the Philippines-United States "indirect fire operations" Subject Matter Expert Exchange Training (SMEET) at Fort Magsaysay, Nueva Ecija on Monday.

The training is between the United States Army Pacific (USARPAC) and the Philippine Army as part of the yearly "Balikatan" exercise which focuses on enhancing the skills, competencies and capacity of both armies in the conduct of fire planning and indirect fire operations.

Participating in the exercise are 70 soldiers from the AAR and 55 combined infantry and artillery soldiers from USARPAC.

According to Capt. Jeffrey S. Ferrer, SMEET training fire support planner and assistant chief-of-staff for training and education of the AAR, the participants are organized into three components of the mortar and artillery gunnery team: the forward observer, fire direction center, and the firing unit.

“This will ensure the exchange of skills and competencies. The leaders will prioritize the planning of fires in support to force-on-force maneuver while the crewmen will focus on certification of personnel relative to the gunnery operations,” he added.

Col. Agane C. Adriatico, AAR deputy commander, said that the training they will undergo is more than the exchange of skills and knowledge.

“I am confident that the relationship we have established in the past will get much stronger and better as we further our commitment towards a more secure Asia-Pacific Region,” he added.

The training will run for two weeks with lectures and demonstrations.

Live fire exercises will be held at Mount Baca, Barangay Palale in Nueva Ecija as the final culminating activity in order to test the efficiency of all the personnel involved.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=752474