COUNTERMEASURES Philippine Army personnel on Saturday train cadets of the Reserve Officers Training Corps during a cyber defense exercise at the Army鈥檚 headquarters in Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City, in the wake of an 鈥渋llegal access attempt鈥� by a local hacking group last month. 鈥擯hilippine Army/Facebook
MANILA, Philippines 鈥� The Philippine Army held a two-day cyberdefense exercise over the weekend to practice securing the country鈥檚 cyberspace.
The Army鈥檚 Office of the Assistant Chief of Staff for Communications, Electronics and Information Systems鈥� Cyber Exercise Defense 2025 held on Saturday and Sunday at Fort Bonifacio in Taguig City, came in the wake of an 鈥渋llegal access attempt鈥� in the Army鈥檚 networks last month, although there was no damage or data theft involved.
Part of the exercise involved 20 teams, each consisting of four members representing various universities and potential affiliate reserve units, the Army said in a statement.
The drills offer 鈥渁 dynamic platform to translate their theoretical knowledge into real-world applications, nurturing collaboration, critical thinking and effective problem-solving in the ever-evolving field of cyberdefense,鈥� it said.
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鈥淭he Philippine Army is committed to fostering the development of expertise in this vital domain, reinforcing the country鈥檚 capacity to protect against emerging cyberthreats and vulnerabilities,鈥� the Army said.
In late February, the Army said they were able to contain an 鈥渋llegal access attempt鈥� by a local hacking group that claimed to have breached its systems and accessed confidential records.
鈥淭he Army is currently conducting countermeasures to prevent such cybersecurity incidents in the future,鈥� the Army said.
Combined arms drills
The Army is currently holding a large-scale exercise as part of its efforts to test and improve its ability to quickly deploy in response to a potential conflict.
The Combined Arms Training Exercise (Catex) set from March 3 to March 12, will highlight the Army鈥檚 efforts to shift to external security operations. The exercises will simulate the defense of northern and Central Luzon from an invasion.
The Army is the largest service branch in the Armed Forces of the Philippines with more than 100,000 personnel.
Around 6,000 Army troops will take part in the Catex, which will involve bigger contingents from Visayas and Mindanao for the first time. It is a prelude to bigger joint training events such as Salaknib and Balikatan.
鈥淥ur country is archipelagic and moving forces from one area to another is difficult and this is what we are trying to understand and define the gaps so we would have solutions once the situation arises. But if you recall World War II 鈥� there was a big mobilization of forces in Mindanao and Visayas,鈥� Army chief Lt. Gen. Roy Galido earlier said.
Catex last week featured for the first time newly delivered Sabrah light tanks, part of a P9.4 billion-contract for 20 units under a government to government deal with Israel.
In recent years, the Philippine military has been training for the defense from potential aggressors, some of those with allies like the United States, to address evolving threats including an increasingly aggressive China. INQ