Philippines and US wrap up Balikatan 2026 exercises

CAMP AGUINALDO, Philippines — The Armed Forces of the Philippines closed Exercise Balikatan 2026 on May 8, concluding the 41st and most expansive iteration of the largest annual military exercise between the Philippines and the United States.

Five partner nations—Australia, Japan, Canada, France, and New Zealand—joined this year’s 19-day drills, which emphasized combat credibility, crisis readiness, and cooperation strengthened over decades of U.S.-Philippines training. “Balikatan 2026 marked a strategic evolution from a bilateral exercise to a full-scale, multinational mission rehearsal for the defense of the Philippines,” said U.S. Navy Adm. Samuel J. Paparo, commander of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command. “That growth reflects the security environment. It reflects the sovereign choices of free nations.”

Months of planning and logistics preceded the opening, including a March Maritime Prepositioning Force offload to stage equipment and sustainment, moving materiel from Mindanao through Subic Bay to training areas. With forces in place, the combined and joint team executed complex all-domain live-fire events to enhance air and missile defense, counter-landing, and maritime security and strike capabilities across the archipelago.

At sea, the Philippines, United States, Australia, Japan, and Canada carried out a Multilateral Maritime Event off western Luzon, with training in live-fire gunnery, anti-submarine warfare, and replenishment at sea, as well as deck landing qualifications. “Balikatan was never simply about conducting activities,” said Philippine Army Gen. Romeo S. Brawner Jr., chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. “It was about strengthening the ability to respond together in real, complex conditions. And that matters because in today’s security environment, readiness cannot be improvised.”

Crisis response skills were honed through advanced aeromedical, combat search-and-rescue, and mass casualty training. On the first day, AFP and U.S. forces responded to a vehicular accident, extracting multiple injured civilians from a ravine while aviation units coordinated rapid helicopter medical evacuations—an operation reflecting years of interoperability.

Beyond the training ranges, the exercise brought direct support to communities at five sites from Mindanao to Palawan to Northern Luzon. Service members worked with local leaders, barangay rural health workers, and community partners on medical and dental exams, health education, classroom technology, infrastructure projects, and engagements tailored to local priorities, with lasting impacts projected for more than 60,000 Filipinos.

Organizers framed the exercise as part of a shared commitment to regional peace and stability under the 1951 U.S.-Philippine Mutual Defense Treaty, now in its 75th year. “These anniversaries remind us that our alliance is not merely a matter of treaty obligations. It is a living partnership, designed and strengthened across generations, and grounded in shared values, mutual respect, and common purpose,” said Y. Robert Ewing, chargé d’affaires, a.i., at the U.S. Embassy in the Philippines. “Exercise Balikatan serves as a powerful testament to our alliance in action. It demonstrates our collective commitment to prepare together, alongside other like-minded nations, to deter common threats and uphold a free and open Indo-Pacific.”