Philippine Army beefs up bilateral ties with Australian, German Armies

By OACPA
July 14, 2025

FORT BONIFACIO, Taguig City – Army Chief Lt. Gen. Roy M. Galido conducted bilateral dialogues with Chief of Australian Army (AUSA) Lt. Gen. Simon Stuart and Chief of the German Army Lt. Gen. Alfons Mais at the sidelines of his Counterpart Visit to Australia for the 11th iteration of Exercise Talisman Sabre on July 12, 2025.

Lt. Gen. Galido, in his meeting with Lt. Gen. Stuart, reaffirmed the Philippine Army's commitment to maintaining a productive and healthy engagement with AUSA by continuing to conduct bilateral exercises such as the annual Carabaroo and Kasangga. The Army Chief noted that these bilateral trainings are crucial amid the increased security challenges that could potentially disrupt peace in the region.

Meanwhile, in his meeting with Lt. Gen. Mais, Lt. Gen. Galido emphasized the importance of Germany's pivot to the Indo-Pacific region, particularly in promoting a Rules-Based International Order and respect for International Law and the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. The meeting comes as Germany and the Philippines work to finalize a Defense Pact by the end of 2025, following the historic visit of German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius to Manila in August 2024 which marked the first visit by a German Defense Chief to the Philippines.

The Philippine Army acknowledges Australia and Germany's significant contributions to the Philippine Army's modernization thrust and looks forward to future bilateral activities to build collective capabilities to effectively and efficiently address any emerging security challenges in the region, promote stability and cooperation among nations.