Aussies train WV soldiers

From the Visayan Daily Star (Jun 23): Aussies train WV soldiers

The Australian Defense Force trained Army soldiers in Western Visayas in combined urban operations, that took into consideration lessons learned by the Armed Forces of the Philippines during the Battle of Marawi.

Capt. Eduardo Precioso, 3rd Infantry Division Public Affairs Office chief, said yesterday that the month-long training, that was participated in by personnel of the 3ID, 6th Light Armor Company, 3rd Field Artillery Battalion and the 53rd Engineering Brigade, was aimed at enhancing the knowledge, interoperability, tactics, techniques, and procedures of the participants on combined urban operations.

Some of the participants are soldiers of the 15th Infantry Battalion, who had participated in the fight against the ISIS-inspired Maute terrorist group, who occupied Marawi for several months, before being neutralized by the AFP.

While the ADF shared their knowledge in military tactics to be employed in urban operations with the Philippine Army troops, Precioso said they also learned rural fighting warfare from the Philippine Army.

The Battle for Marawi underscores the complexity of urban warfare, that was compounded by the lack of familiarity of the AFP in fighting in cities.

Marawi City was liberated from the Maute Group after five months of intense fighting that left 974 terrorists, 168 soldiers and policemen, and 47 civilians dead.

“We learned from them, they learned from us,” Precioso said, apparently referring to the cross-military training that, he added, also strengthened the bilateral relationship between Philippine and Australian armed forces.

The Philippine-Australian Army Combined Urban Operations Training at Camp Macario Peralta in Jamindan, Capiz, ended June 20, with a 20-minute capability demonstration vigorously performed by the personnel of the Operation Control (OPCON) units of the 3ID and ADF Joint Task Group 629 headed by Lt. Col. Judd Finger.

The combined urban operations training was supervised by a Land Advisory Team from Joint Task Group 629, and majority of the pool instructors came from 3ID, who were also trained during the Philippine-Australia Army to Army Exercise 2018-2 in March this year.

http://www.visayandailystar.com/2018/June/23/topstory4.htm