US, Philippines plan biggest-ever military drills as war threats grow
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More than 17,000 military personnel from two dozen nations will participate in Balikatan 2026.
PHOTO: ST FILE
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MANILA – More than 17,000 military personnel will participate in the biggest-ever joint drills by the Philippines, the US and other nations as they rehearse war-fighting skills amid tensions with China and conflicts in the Middle East.
Troops from Australia, Japan, Canada, France and New Zealand will also take part in the 2026 Balikatan – “shoulder-to-shoulder” in Tagalog – exercises running from April 20 to May 8, the US Marine Corps said on April 13.
An additional 17 nations will observe the land, sea, air and cyber drills, which will break the previous record of 16,000 personnel set in 2024. There was no breakdown on how many American troops would join, but 9,000 participated from the US in 2025, with 5,000 personnel from the Philippines.
“Training shoulder-to-shoulder with our oldest ally and our many partners ensures our forces are prepared to face any challenge, together,” Philippine Army Major-General Francisco Lorenzo Jr said in the statement from the US Marines.
The exercises will “rehearse war-fighting skills in maritime security, coastal defence and the integration of combined and joint fires”, according to the statement.
The record military turnout comes as conflicts from Ukraine to Iran, along with China’s military build-up, lead policymakers to improve their defence preparedness.
The US and Israeli war on Iran continues, with US President Donald Trump beginning on April 13 a US naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz in a bid to pressure Tehran to reach an agreement.
The war games also underscore the Philippines’ shift to external defence amid territorial disputes in the South China Sea, a resource-rich waterway where Beijing lays expansive claims, including areas Manila says are part of its exclusive economic zone.
The Philippines over the weekend said Chinese forces fired flares at a coast guard aircraft that was conducting routine monitoring over Mischief Reef and Subi Reef, both of which are located in disputed waters where Beijing has built artificial islands with military infrastructure.
On April 13, Manila said Chinese boats were dumping cyanide into waters around the Second Thomas Shoal, which officials said could compromise the structural integrity of its military outpost there.
Beijing called Manila’s accusations “neither credible nor worth refuting”.
Ships from four countries will participate in a multi-day multilateral maritime exercise along the west coast of the Philippines that faces the South China Sea, according to the US Marines.
They will conduct deck-landing qualifications, live-fire gunnery, anti-submarine warfare and search-and-rescue training.
Japanese troops will participate in combat drills for the first time under Tokyo and Manila’s reciprocal access agreement, which facilitates mutual military visits. Japan participated as an observer in previous drills. BLOOMBERG
