(UPDATE) PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. monitored on Wednesday this year’s Balikatan exercise between the Philippines and the United States, the Presidential Communications Office (PCO) said in a statement.
The president observed via live feed at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City the joint military drill, including the Joint Task Force Maritime Strike, the largest and most complex drill in simulated operations against maritime threats of Philippine troops and allied forces.
The PCO said Balikatan highlighted the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ growing capability to conduct military operations alongside international partners when it comes to promoting regional security and freedom of navigation.
”Balikatan 41-2026 also carries added significance as the Philippines and the United States commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Mutual Defense Treaty,” it added.
The maritime strike component forms part of the broader Balikatan drills, an annual exercise between the Philippines and the US aimed at strengthening interoperability and enhancing military readiness.
During the activity, participating forces integrated various assets, including naval platforms, aircraft and ground-based systems, to execute synchronized maritime strike scenarios.
The drills emphasized joint planning, and command and control processes, enabling participating units to coordinate actions in complex and dynamic operational environments.
Besides maritime strike operations, the exercise includes a range of activities such as humanitarian assistance and disaster response, air and missile defense, and cyber defense training.
Meanwhile, Marcos welcomed Japan’s participation in the Balikatan, in which 1,400 personnel of the Japan Self-Defense Forces joined expanded multilateral drills alongside Filipino and American troops.
”It is a very, very good signal for the solidarity, [and] the exercises have been going very well,” Marcos said during his meeting with Japanese Defense Minister Koizumi Shinjiro in Malacañang on Tuesday.
Marcos told Japanese officials that the Philippines would continue to build on the trilateral ties it established with Japan and the US.
”Now, the United States has other concerns right now, but I think between Japan and the Philippines, we continue to strengthen that relationship and to add on to what we have initially discussed in terms of the arrangement,” he said.
The president noted that the agreement deals not only with defense and security but also with other aspects.
Marcos, then-US president Joe Biden and former Japanese prime minister Fumio Kishida participated in a trilateral summit in Washington, D.C., on April 11, 2024.
During the summit, they reaffirmed their commitment to a peaceful, secure and prosperous Indo-Pacific, guided by the values of democracy, the rule of law and human rights.
Present during the meeting were Executive Secretary Ralph Recto, Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr., Armed Forces Chief of Staff Romeo Brawner Jr., National Security Adviser Secretary Eduardo Oban Jr. and PCO Undersecretary for Strategic Media Campaigns Ramon Ilagan.
Joining Minister Shinjiro Koizumi were Japan Ambassador Endo Kazuya, Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force Adm. Saito Akira, Ministry of Defense-Bureau of Defense Policy Director General Mannami Manabu and Director General for International Affairs Arima Takanori.
