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CAMP AGUINALDO, Quezon City, Philippines – Exercise Balikatan 2026, the 41st iteration of the largest annual bilateral exercise conducted between the Philippines and the United States, commenced with an opening ceremony today.
The ceremony marked the start of the most expansive Balikatan exercise to date with attendance by military officials and diplomats from the seven participating nations – the Philippines, United States, Australia, Japan, Canada, France, and New Zealand. The audience offered a preview of the multilateral cooperation to come and served as a testament to the exercise’s contributions to a free and open Indo-Pacific.
“To our allies and partners, your presence here today sends a clear and unmistakable message that security is shared and that partnership remains our strongest advantage,” said Philippine Army Gen. Romeo S. Brawner Jr., chief of staff, Armed Forces of the Philippines. “When nations stand together, shoulder-to-shoulder, with trust, purpose, and resolve, we are always stronger.”
AFP and U.S. forces began working shoulder-to-shoulder prior to the opening ceremony: logisticians transported, offloaded, and distributed equipment and sustainment across the archipelago in preparation for the exercise while health professionals and engineers completed humanitarian civic assistance projects in barangays. Multilateral operational training across all domains – air, land, sea, space, and cyber – begins this week.
“This realistic and challenging training will not only enhance our interoperability and readiness, it will also forge unbreakable bonds of camaraderie and trust,” said U.S. Marine Corps Lt. Gen. Christian Wortman, commanding general of the U.S. joint task force. “These relationships reinforce that the U.S.–Philippine alliance is more than military cooperation—it is a partnership deeply rooted in shared values.”
During the ceremony, leaders unfurled the exercise’s ceremonial flag and service members exchanged patches, reaffirming Balikatan 2026’s foundational importance to more than defense cooperation. Throughout the exercise, AFP, U.S., and partner service members will create positive change to local communities while securing regional peace and prosperity.
“As we begin this exercise, let us remember that we are not only preparing for contingencies – we are building lasting partnerships, strengthening mutual understanding, and reinforcing the bonds that make our alliance resilient,” said Y. Robert Ewing, chargé d’affaires, a.i., at the U.S. Embassy in the Philippines. “The relationships formed here – from senior leaders to individual service members – will endure far beyond this exercise and continue to strengthen our shared future.”
Exercise Balikatan directly supports the 75-year-old U.S.-Philippine Mutual Defense Treaty by ensuring our forces are tactically proficient, modernizing mutual capabilities, and strengthening military-to-military coordination.
News media representatives interested in additional information or coverage opportunities may contact the exercise Public Affairs Combined Joint Information Bureau media officer at balikatan_media@usmc.mil. ______________________________________________________________________________
About Balikatan Balikatan is a longstanding annual exercise between the Armed Forces of the Philippines and U.S. military designed to strengthen our ironclad alliance, improve our capable combined force, and demonstrate our commitment to regional security and stability. For complete coverage of Balikatan 2026 activities, visit https://www.dvidshub.net/feature/Balikatan.
| Date Taken: | 04.19.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 04.20.2026 04:51 |
| Story ID: | 563062 |
| Location: | MANILA, PH |
| Web Views: | 105 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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