Reservists From Pangasinan and Ilocos Sur Reinforce Army Units in Northern Luzon War Games

FORT BONIFACIO, Taguig City — Reservists from Pangasinan and Ilocos Sur have joined front-line training formations of the Philippine Army in Northern Luzon, reinforcing regular units during the ongoing Combined Arms Training Exercise known as CATEX “Katihan” 03-2026, a large-scale military exercise designed to test operational readiness and the integration of reserve forces into national defense operations.

Army officials said the participation of reservists in the exercise demonstrates the expanding role of the country’s reserve component in supporting active military formations, particularly in complex operational environments where coordination, logistics and tactical readiness are essential.

The training activities, conducted across multiple locations in Northern Luzon, brought together reservists, regular Army personnel and training command elements in a coordinated series of exercises that simulate real-world military planning and combat support operations.

In Pangasinan, twenty-five reservists and three enlisted personnel from the 104th Civic-Military Coordination Detachment joined troops from the Army’s 7th Infantry Division during a Military Decision Making Process briefing and opening ceremony held in Barangay San Vicente in the municipality of Burgos.

The Military Decision Making Process, often referred to by the acronym MDMP, is a structured planning framework used by military commanders to analyze operational scenarios, evaluate available resources and develop tactical courses of action.

By participating in the process alongside regular Army officers, reservists were given direct exposure to the command-level planning procedures that shape battlefield operations and military responses to emerging threats.

Army officials said the exercise demonstrated that reservists can meaningfully contribute to complex military planning tasks when integrated with regular units.

At the same time, in neighboring Ilocos Sur, thirty-three reservists and two enlisted personnel from the 102nd Civic-Military Coordination Detachment joined elements of the Army’s 5th Infantry Division in division-level training activities designed to strengthen coordination between reserve and active forces.

Military planners say exercises like Katihan are critical in ensuring that reserve forces — who normally train part-time — remain capable of operating alongside full-time combat units during emergencies, disasters or national security contingencies.

The Philippine Army maintains that reservists serve as the foundation for force expansion in times of crisis.

Their integration into operational exercises is therefore viewed as essential to maintaining a credible and responsive national defense posture.

Additional reserve forces from the 102nd Ready Reserve Infantry Battalion participated in specialized training activities conducted at the Logistics Support Area of Paredes Air Station in Pasuquin, Ilocos Norte.

There, reservists engaged in exercises focused on logistical coordination and combat support operations — two areas considered critical in sustaining military units during extended operations.

Another reservist squad completed mortar gunnery exercises as part of their training rotation, conducting pre-assessment drills that included Observe Fire procedures and Call for Fire operations, technical processes used by artillery units to accurately direct indirect fire support during combat.

These drills are designed to sharpen the coordination between forward observers and mortar crews, ensuring that fire support can be delivered rapidly and accurately in operational scenarios.

Meanwhile, other reservists underwent Tactical Combat Casualty Care continuation training at a local support area in Burgos, Pangasinan.

The program focuses on battlefield medical response techniques that allow soldiers to stabilize wounded personnel under combat conditions before evacuation to higher medical facilities.

Tactical Combat Casualty Care, commonly known in military circles as TC3, has become a standard component of modern military training around the world, emphasizing life-saving interventions that can be performed by soldiers in the field.

Army officials said the inclusion of reservists in these specialized training activities reflects the military’s broader effort to raise the operational readiness of the reserve component to match the evolving demands of national defense.

The Combined Arms Training Exercise Katihan, which draws its name from the Filipino term for land warfare, is designed to test coordination among various Army units including infantry, logistics, artillery, and support formations.

Exercises like Katihan are intended to simulate complex operational environments in which different military capabilities must function together seamlessly.

For the Philippine Army, the participation of reservists in such exercises reflects a broader modernization effort that seeks to ensure the armed forces remain adaptable, resilient and capable of responding to both traditional and emerging security challenges.

Military officials say the reserve force provides depth to the Army’s manpower and operational capabilities, serving as a strategic resource that can be mobilized during national emergencies, natural disasters or large-scale security operations.

The Philippines, an archipelago of more than 7,000 islands vulnerable to natural disasters and security threats, has long relied on reservists to augment the regular armed forces.

Beyond their military role, reservists often come from civilian professions ranging from medicine and engineering to public administration, allowing the armed forces to tap specialized expertise during crises.

Army leaders say this dual identity — citizen and soldier — is what makes the reserve force an indispensable component of the nation’s defense structure.

As CATEX Katihan continues across Northern Luzon, military officials say the exercise is providing an opportunity not only to sharpen tactical skills but also to reinforce the principle that national defense is a shared responsibility between the armed forces and the broader citizenry.

For the reservists participating in the training, the exercise represents a reaffirmation of that commitment — a reminder that even in times of peace, preparation remains the cornerstone of security.