THE 10TH Infantry Division will send more than 100 soldiers from the Reconnaissance Company to participate in the upcoming Combined Arms Training Exercise (Catex) “Katihan” from Mindanao to Luzon as part of the 127th founding anniversary of the Philippine Army on March 22.
Speaking on Wednesday’s AFP-PNP press briefing held at The Royal Mandaya Hotel, Major Mark Anthony Tito, the 10th ID Public Affairs Office chief, said the soldiers are presently preparing at their headquarters.
“Most of their troops are highly trained and have specialization courses,” Tito said. “They will be participating in the Katihan, it will simulate how they are going to move from Mindanao to Luzon.”
“Dito pa lang mag start na yung scenario hanggang sa Luzon, diyan natin makita how are we going to mobilize our forces, it’s not ordinary forces but many troops are involve,” he further said.
The army officer said the focus of the training is to showcase the combined arms capabilities of various major units.
In a separate interview on Friday, Army spokesperson Col. Louie Dema-ala, said the purpose of Catex is to integrate all capabilities of the Army to determine gaps and how to quickly respond to any scenario.
“It could be HADR (humanitarian assistance and disaster response), territorial defense, or any other scenarios,” Dema-ala said.
“Titingnan din natin dun kung capable ba tayo i-move ang large formations at any one time (forces from mindanao,visayas and Luzon). Another is kaya ba ng Army i-sustain ang large forces numbering to more than 4,000 personnel (in terms of meals, etc),” he further said.
Around 4,000 to 5,000 nationwide will take part in Catex, which will be held in Camp O’Donnell in Capas, Tarlac, with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in attendance.
