US Army Pacific trains Philippine Army to operate unmanned aircraft system

Colonel Louie Dema-ala, an Army spokesman, said training participants learned to integrate real-time aerial surveillance data into ground-level tactical decision-making.

A soldier checks out the FPV drone used during Exercise Salaknib. Photo by US Army Pacific Sgt. Taylor Gray.

Manuel Mogato | April 14, 2026

MANILA — Soldiers from the 3rd Mobile Brigade, 25th Infantry Division of the US Army trained local troops on how to operate small unmanned aircraft system (sUAS), a key component in operationalizing the Philippines’ archipelagic defense concept to protect the nation’s territorial integrity.

After a week of the ongoing Exercise Salaknib in Fort Magsaysay, Nueva Ecija, the combined US and Philippine training conducted hands-on instruction on state-of-the-art platforms to ensure distributed lethality in contested environments.

Colonel Louie Dema-ala, an Army spokesman, said the training participants learned to integrate real-time aerial surveillance data into ground-level tactical decision-making, a critical skill in modern combined arms operations.

The training also featured First-Person View (FPV) drones, as well as the vertical take-off and landing UAS, he added. (Also read: The Philippines Should Integrate Drones into “Tatag Kapuluan”)

In a notable exchange of expertise, Dema-ala said the UAS control station was demonstrated to U.S. Army instructors. (PODCAST: Pilot Ep: Drone Warfare)

“This exchange of technical expertise aligns with the PA’s push for a Self-Reliant Defense Posture (SRDP), ensuring our troops are masters of modern, homegrown, and integrated technologies,” Dema-ala said.

In a related development, Philippine Army and US Army Pacific 25th Infantry Division troops rehearsed individual movement techniques, bolstering the multi-domain readiness and combined lethality of our land forces and serving as a credible deterrent in the region during Exercise Salaknib 2026 at Fort Magsaysay.