Photo By Sean P. Houlihan | U.S. Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Israel Nuñez, senior enlisted advisor to the Chief...... read more read more
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MANILA, Philippines - “Balikatan” is a Tagalog phrase translating to “shoulder-to-shoulder,” illustrating the spirit of the annual exercise and the enduring strength of the United States and Philippine alliance. This phrase materialized as a contingent of Reserve Airmen supporting the exercise met with a senior leader from Air Force Reserve Command at Camp General Emilio Aguinaldo April 23, 2026.
U.S. Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Israel Nuñez, senior enlisted advisor to the Chief of Air Force Reserve, Pentagon, Washington D.C., and command chief master sgt. of Air Force Reserve Command, Robins Air Force Base, Georgia, learned about delivering efficient, experienced, accessible and lethal capabilities primed for full participation in an allied and partner exercise.
The focus of Nuñez’s visit to the Philippines was to meet with the reservists instructing leadership courses at the Philippine Air Force Leader Development Center.
“We have some Reserve Airmen doing great stuff in Balikatan, so I said yes as it’s always good to see Airmen out in the field,” said Nuñez, during a video teleconference with cyber operations Airmen. “You are all doing real world stuff and the fact that you’re out there on your own and running your own site, speaks volumes to what the reserve brings to the fight.”
Coinciding with the 75th anniversary of the United States and Philippine Mutual Defense Treaty, this iteration marks the most expansive Balikatan to date. Multinational personnel from the United States, the Philippines, Australia, Canada, France, Japan, and New Zealand are participating. The Air Force Reserve has approximately 50 Reservists participating from aerial port and aeromedical staging squadrons, intelligence units, the 919th Special Operations Wing, the 920th Rescue Wing and the 960th Cyberspace Wing.
While on a video call with Major Dustin Schimp, Senior Master Sgt. Michael Baustart and Technical Sgt. Adam Gibson, all of the 960th Cyberspace Wing, they told the Nuñez that retention is difficult in the cyber operation Air Forces Specialty Codes as the Air National Guard is able to authorize higher bonuses for enlisted Airmen than the Reserve Command is able to do so.
The chief told the group he appreciated their candor in bringing up the subject saying that last fiscal year some AFSCs saw retention bonuses as high as $45,000 and the plan is to increase that number to between $60,000 and $90,000 to retain talent from going to the Air National Guard.
“We're getting there. We just have to put our money where our mouth is, and that's what my fight every single day is, telling my boss, our human hardware needs to be as important as physical hardware, right? The F-35s are awesome, but those humans who operate the F-35s are more important, and we need to incentivize them accordingly."
For Chief Master Sgt. Rodney Balgan, squadron superintendent of the 42nd Cyber Operations Squadron, facilitating Reserve Airmen participation in the Indo-Pacific region exemplifies the direct support missions and cyber operations Airmen train for daily.
“We are working to show them tactics, techniques and procedures that are robust and well established within the Air Force Reserve,” said Balgan.
Command-level leadership engagement is crucial, making Nuñez’s visit particularly beneficial noted Balgan.
“There have been some tough, long hours in the heat for some of the Airmen,” said Balgan. “To have a senior leader meet them in those field conditions, you can see firsthand how their morale and willingness to work harder increases.”
Balikatan is a longstanding annual exercise between the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the U.S. military designed to strengthen the alliance, improve combined capabilities and demonstrate a shared commitment to regional security and stability.
| Date Taken: | 04.23.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 04.27.2026 12:45 |
| Story ID: | 563670 |
| Location: | PH |
| Web Views: | 20 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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