PH, Aussie troops conclude ‘Kasangga’ drills in Camarines Sur

EXERCISE OVER. Philippine and Australian Army soldiers render their snappy salute at the closing ceremony of the Philippines-Australia Army-to-Army Exercise “Kasangga” 2026-1 at Camp Elias Angeles in San Jose, Pili, Camarines Sur on Friday (June 19, 2026). The almost month-long drills shared the regional objective of the Philippines and Australian Armies, with the “tested ability to protect, deploy, sustain, and employ combat power across multiple domains.” (Photo courtesy of the PA) 

MANILA – The Philippine Army (PA) and its Australian Army counterparts on Friday formally concluded the almost month-long “Kasangga” 2026-1 drills which boosted the ability of the two services to operate as an integrated force.

Closing ceremonies took place at Camp Elias Angeles, San Jose, Pili in Camarines Sur.

PA vice commander Maj. Gen. Efren Morados, who served as the event’s guest-of-honor and speaker, said “Kasangga” met the shared regional objective of the Philippines and Australia with the “tested ability to protect, deploy, sustain, and employ combat power across multiple domains.”

“We train not only to improve individual and unit proficiency, but also to strengthen our capacity to operate as an integrated force,” he added in a statement.

“Kasangga” began May 25 and involved around 300 PA soldiers from the 83rd Infantry Battalion, 9th Division Training School, 565th Engineer Construction Battalion, 9th Field Artillery Battalion, and 21st Cavalry Company.

Meanwhile, 90 soldiers from the Australian Army took part in the exercise.

“Kasangga” training activities included intelligence operations, movement and maneuver, fire support, civil-military operations, sustainment, medical operations, jungle warfare, and force protection.

Additionally, the Philippine Air Force and the Philippine Navy marked their first-ever participation in the exercise, adding force power into the representation of the Armed Forces of the Philippines major service units.

“The PA, along with local and international stakeholders and even coalitions, reinforces its collective ability to deter aggression, respond to crises, and contribute to a secure and prosperous Indo-Pacific Region,” Army spokesperson Col. Louie Dema-ala said of the drills in a separate message to reporters.

The first two iterations of the Kasangga drills took place in 2024, with the first taking place in Isabela from May 15 to June 21 of the same year, with 100 PA soldiers from the 86th Infantry Battalion taking part, and 50 from the Australian Army.

The second “Kasangga” iteration took place in Camarines Sur and ran from Oct. 14 to Nov. 8, involving 266 PA troopers and 50 from the Australian Army. — Priam Nepomuceno (PNA)