3 September 2025
Flight Lieutenant James-Andre Galam is proud to continue three generations of family military history.
Deployed to the Philippines as part of the Air Task Group (ATG) on Exercise Alon 2025, Flight Lieutenant Galam is an Air Force engineering officer currently serving as the Officer in Charge of the Combined Workshops at 6 Squadron, supporting the EA-18G Growlers and F/A-18F Super Hornets.
Before him, his father also served in the RAAF as a medical scientist. Grandparents on both sides of his family served as officers in the Philippine Air Force.
Originally from Manila, Flight Lieutenant Galam’s family moved to Australia in the early 1990s. He was born and raised in Melbourne, but grew up speaking Tagalog in the family home.
After being encouraged to join the RAAF by his father, Flight Lieutenant Galam attended the Australian Defence Force Academy at the age of 17 and has gone on to enjoy a rewarding and fulfilling Air Force career.
On Exercise Alon he continued to support the 82 Wing fighter jets, operating as the ATG detachment engineer. He said deploying to the Philippines had been very meaningful for him.
“Being able to continue my family’s history of military service is an unreal privilege,” Flight Lieutenant Galam said.
“I am undoubtedly Aussie, but I will always remember and respect my Filipino roots.”
His role on Exercise Alon involved deploying with the advanced party to support the establishment of the ATG.
'This is the first time 82 Wing have operated out of the Philippines in recent history. So, to be a part of that is really special.'
He said the best part of the experience was being part of the contingent that deployed RAAF EA-18G Growlers and F/A-18F Super Hornets to the Philippines for the first time.
“From a professional perspective, it’s very rewarding being here and seeing the team be extremely successful in overcoming significant administrative and logistics challenges to ensure smooth flying operations,” Flight Lieutenant Galam said.
“This is only the second iteration of Exercise Alon, and this is the first time 82 Wing have operated out of the Philippines in recent history. So, to be a part of that is really special.
“As the detachment engineer and one of the primary liaisons with local Philippine Air Force units, it feels like my professional and personal skillsets are aligning, allowing me to perform my role effectively for Exercise Alon.”
His experience has motivated him to explore other opportunities in the region, and he is keen to encourage others with linguistic and cultural skillsets to search and consider applying for these unique opportunities across the ADF.
“My advice to any current ADF members, or aspiring ADF candidates, with linguistic or cultural skillsets, would be to reach out and explore opportunities that use these unique competencies,” Flight Lieutenant Galam said.
“My starting point would be contacting the Language Manager of each ADF service, and potentially looking for a posting to the Defence Force School of Languages to gain a linguistic proficiency.
“However, if you can already speak a language fluently, that will be a huge bonus.”
Exercise Alon was conducted in the Philippines between August 15 and 29, and is the largest overseas military exercise for Australia in 2025.
