Philippines, US open ‘biggest’ Balikatan drills

MANILA, Philippines, April 21 ------ This year’s Balikatan exercise is the largest ever, US Chargé d’Affaires Robert Ewing said, underscoring both the depth of bilateral ties and the strength of a growing network of likeminded partners. “Over the coming weeks, our two nations will reaffirm our ironclad alliance, both through words and action. The professionalism, dedication and capability of our joint and combined forces will demonstrate our unwavering commitment to regional security and to a free and open Indo-Pacific,” Ewing said.

The annual military exercise began yesterday and runs through May 8. This year, over 17,000 personnel from the Philippines, the US and from Australia, Canada, France, Japan, United Kingdom and New Zealand are taking part.

Seventeen other countries also sent observers, including the Czech Republic, Lithuania, Poland and the Netherlands. The French Armed Forces is participating in Balikatan with 20 military personnel to the multinational exercise headquarters staff. “This contribution focuses on centralized allied command and will enhance interoperability with regional allies and partners, while contributing to stability and security in the area,” the French Pacific Command said.

This is France’s third participation, following its involvement in 2025 and 2024, amid the intensifying military cooperation between France and the Philippines, following the signing of a Visiting Forces Status Agreement on March 26. It also marks the French Pacific Command’s first contribution to a major inter-allied exercise in the region.

The United States’ alliance and commitment to the Philippines is still strong despite the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. Armed Forces of the Philippines chief General Romeo Brawner Jr. said US Indo-Pacific Command chief Admiral Samuel Paparo made the assurance. Diversion of US attention is seen as one of the immediate consequences of the Middle East war. “I was in a conversation with my counterpart, Admiral Paparo, during the start of the conflict in the Middle East. In that conversation, he assured me that despite the conflict happening now in the Middle East and elsewhere around the world, the commitment of the United States is still strong and that the Balikatan exercise for this year will be, according to his own words, the biggest ever,” Brawner said during the opening of the 2026 Balikatan Exercises Monday.

But what began as a bilateral training activity, Brawner said, has evolved into a multilateral endeavor, reflecting the realities of today’s security environment and the shared responsibility of nations committed to peace. Brawner said the annual Balikatan exercises are aimed at creating defensive systems that can move and respond efficiently.

For more than three decades, he noted, Balikatan has stood as a living testament to the partnership between the Philippines and the US. “Together, we train across the breadth of our archipelago, from Northern Luzon to Palawan, from the Visayas to Mindanao, testing our readiness in real-world conditions across all domains,” Brawner said. “This is where capability meets interoperability, where coordination becomes cohesion, and where preparation becomes deterrence.”

Balikatan 41-26 reflects the scale of cooperation and the depth of operational alignment. US Marine Corps Lieutenant General Christian Wortman, commanding general of the I Marine Expeditionary Force, said the Middle East conflict had minor impact on this year’s Balikatan exercises. “There have only been very minor changes to the exercise forces participating in Balikatan due to emergent requirements,” Wortman said. “All exercise objectives for the US and our shared objectives – the major components of the exercise – remain consistent and fully supportable. So no, there were no changes to the exercise as a result of global operations,” he added.

The Typhon system, he said, remains in the Philippines and they anticipate that it will be incorporated at some level during the course of the exercise. “But as I previously mentioned, the details of participation by any given system are still being finalized as part of our bilateral coordination. We certainly welcome having the Typhon. It’s an important capability in the same way we look forward to incorporating the Brahmos, the Typhon, the Nmesis and other high-end systems.”

The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) will be sending 500 personnel and four vessels to the Balikatan exercise. In a statement, PCG spokesperson Noemie Cayabyab yesterday said Coast Guard personnel will participate in the maritime law enforcement drills, search and rescue operations, environmental response exercises, as well as humanitarian assistance and disaster response scenarios. The PCG will also be utilizing four of its vessels – the BRP Melchora Aquino, BRP Cape San Agustin, BRP Cabra and BRP Panglao – in at-sea maneuvers, joint operations, communication drills and interoperability training.

Source: philstar.com