5 August 2025
In the Sierra Madre mountains on the Philippine island of Luzon, gunners from the 8th/12th Regiment, Royal Australian Artillery (8/12 Regt RAA), conducted a first-of-type training activity.
Under the Joint Australian Training Team – Philippines (JATT-P), 10 of the regiment’s members conducted the first dedicated artillery mobile training team (MTT) with the Philippine Army at Fort Magsaysay.
Over three weeks, the 8/12 Regt RAA gunners provided specialist instruction to three groups of personnel, focusing on gunline and command post training, forward observing, and joint fires and effects.
Lieutenant Erica Sitcheff said they worked with members of the Philippine Army Artillery Regiment, which included five members of the Philippine Marine Corps.
“We were able to build on core gunnery knowledge and work with the Philippine teams to refine procedures that directly enhance their responsiveness and targeting precision,” Lieutenant Sitcheff said.
“During the MTT, the Philippine Army demonstrated the deployment of the M101 howitzer as well as the Autonomous Truck Mounted Howitzer System (ATMOS) 155mm self-propelled howitzer.”
Fort Magsaysay is the Philippine Army’s largest base, located on the island of Luzon, north of Manila.
The base covers an area of 350 square kilometres, incorporating firing ranges across dense mountainous terrain.
'This was a fantastic opportunity to learn, share and grow — both as individual soldiers and as regional partners.'
The ranges provided insight into regional operating environments, including the challenges of dense terrain and urban warfare, during a tour of the World War 2 Bamban battlefield.
The training reinforced foundational gunnery principles, tactical understanding, and identified opportunities to increase the speed and accuracy of fire missions.
The Philippine Army also shared aspects of their Force Modernisation Program, including equipment familiarisation and practical ways to optimise existing systems.
The deployment also included exposure to multi-domain operations and integrated training with the Armed Forces of the Philippines, reinforcing the importance of interoperability in joint and combined environments.
The MTT members said they were warmly welcomed by their hosts, participating in a fellowship evening and a celebration of the Philippine Army Artillery Regiment’s 18th founding anniversary parade.
“We were given a chance to interact with members of all ranks, and we’ve built lasting personal and professional relationships,” Lieutenant Sitcheff said.
“This was a fantastic opportunity to learn, share and grow – both as individual soldiers and as regional partners.”
The activity was part of the Joint Australian Training Team – Philippines (JATT-P) program.
In 2025, JATT-P will involve more than 20 training activities and exchanges between the ADF and Philippine armed forces, more than double the events last year.
