PH readies Carabaroo for US, Australia

The Philippines, Australia and the United States will hold a new edition of the trilateral Carabaroo exercise on the second or third quarter of the year, Army spokesperson Col. Xerxes Trinidad said on Thursday. The drills aim to enhance counterterrorism and counterviolent extremism capabilities. Filipino commandos are also set to hold with their Australian counterparts the annual Dusk Caracha which aims to strengthen interoperability on counterterrorism and nontraditional capabilities. Details of both drills are still being finalized as Australian Ambassador Steven Robinson called on Army chief Lt. Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. at the Army headquarters in Taguig City on Wednesday. The Philippines and Australia have four security deals: 1995 memorandum of understanding on cooperative defense activities; 2012 Visiting Forces Agreement; 2015 comprehensive partnership agreement; and the 2021 Mutual Logistics Agreement. —FRANCES MANGOSING