Exercise Balikatan is the largest annual bilateral exercise conducted between the Philippines and the U.S. This year’s exercise, scheduled from 22 April-10 May, will be the 39th iteration. Balikatan directly supports the U.S.-Philippine Mutual Defense Treaty by ensuring our partner forces are tactically proficient and interoperable, and by creating opportunities to develop capabilities and enhance military-to-military coordination. This year’s exercise schedule includes a... read more
Exercise Balikatan is the largest annual bilateral exercise conducted between the Philippines and the U.S. This year’s exercise, scheduled from 22 April-10 May, will be the 39th iteration. Balikatan directly supports the U.S.-Philippine Mutual Defense Treaty by ensuring our partner forces are tactically proficient and interoperable, and by creating opportunities to develop capabilities and enhance military-to-military coordination. This year’s exercise schedule includes a command-and-control exercise (C2X), Humanitarian Civic Assistance (HCA) projects and engagements, and a series of field training events. Field training activities cover a wide variety of mission sets and will improve the participants capabilities in combined arms live-fire, information and intelligence sharing, communication between maneuver units, logistics operations, amphibious operations, and many others. show less
Puerto Princesa, PHILIPPINES – Marines and Sailors assigned to the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit, embarked on the amphibious transport dock USS Somerset (LPD 25) and amphibious dock landing ship USS Harpers Ferry (LSD 49), consolidated in the province of Palawan to participate in Exercise Balikatan 2024 on April 22.
Over 1,000 Marines and Sailors embarked on the Somerset and Harpers Ferry integrated for the first time on their routinely...
