Philippine Army, U.S.
Army troops conduct Balikatan helocast training
|
Philippine
Army soldiers join forces with U.S. soldiers for a
specialized helocast training that is part of the 40th
iteration of Exercise Balikatan in Fort Magsaysay, Nueva
Ecija on April 27, 2025. |
By
OACPA
April 29, 2025
FORT BONIFACIO, Taguig
City – Philippine Army soldiers from the 5th and 7th Infantry
Divisions joined forces U.S. Army Pacific's 25th Infantry Division
troops for Exercise Balikatan's helocast training in Fort Magsaysay,
Nueva Ecija on April 27, 2025.
The training, conducted
under the guidance of the 25th Infantry Division's Lightning Academy
Mobile Training Team, focused on helocasting, a specialized airborne
technique that allows small military units to rapidly insert troops
into maritime environments. The exercise featured U.S. Army UH-60
Black Hawk helicopters which transported the partipating troops to
designated maritime insertion points.
Helocasting is considered
a critical skill for both forces operating in the archipelagic
landscape of the Philippines where rapid deployment across bodies of
water can be essential for military operations.
Exercise Balikatan, which
means "shoulder-to-shoulder" in Filipino, represents one of the
longest-standing bilateal military exercises between the Philippines
and the United States. The 40th iteration of Balikatan, which will
wrap up on May 9, 2025, aims to strengthen the alliance between the
two nations while bolstering combined and joint force capabilities
and demonstrating shared commitment to regional stability in the
Indo-Pacific region.
