Photo By Sgt. Duke Edwards | Multinational partners pose for a photo after a counter-landing live-fire exercise as...... read more read more
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LAOAG, PHILIPPINES – More than 800 service members from the Philippines, United States, Japan, and Canada successfully synchronized sensors and fires across air, land, and maritime domains in a defensive counter-landing live-fire event as part of Exercise Balikatan 2026, May 4.
Training to defend against a modern maritime threat, multilateral forces delivered firepower as a single, connected team. Intelligence, reconnaissance, and surveillance capabilities detected and tracked enemy formations; commanders made decisions using advanced command and control systems; and ground, air, and sea-based fires destroyed the simulated threat attempting to assault the beach.
“This exercise showcases the lethality of our combined joint force when empowered by a modern command and control network,” said U.S. Army Col. Daniel J. VonBenken, commander of the 25th Infantry Division Artillery. “We are layering proven firepower with emerging capabilities, but the real advantage comes from our ability to see the entire battlespace on a single pane of glass and rapidly direct those assets together with our Armed Forces of the Philippines counterparts.”
The multilateral coastal defense drill brought together service members from four nations.
“This counter-landing live fire exercise demonstrates our growing capability to defend our shores through a multi-layered, joint and combined approach—integrating land, sea, and air assets to decisively destroy threats before they reach our coastline,” said Philippine Marine Corps Col. Dennis Hernandez, Armed Forces of the Philippines spokesperson for Balikatan 2026.
Philippine Air Force A-29 Super Tucano aircraft and T-129 ATAK attack helicopters and U.S. High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems initiated the defense well offshore with coordinated strikes against the simulated enemy amphibious vehicles, while a Philippine Navy patrol gunboat launched simulated anti-ship missiles.
As simulated enemy landing craft approached the beach, they were met with fires from U.S. F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft, AH-64 Apache attack helicopters, and unmanned aerial vehicles. The event culminated with a final defensive line composed of combined Philippine, U.S., Japanese, and Canadian ground forces firing a barrage from howitzers, mortars, Stingers, and small arms to neutralize the last wave of targets and secure the beachhead.
“Canada’s participation in the counter‑landing live fire exercise highlights the importance of training alongside our partners and allies in a complex littoral environment,” said Maj. Matthew Bowser, commanding officer of Bravo Company, 3rd Battalion Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry. “Operating together in realistic conditions strengthens our ability to integrate effectively, enhances collective readiness, and underscores Canada’s role in supporting regional stability.”
The counter-landing live-fire event, and other military training events conducted during Balikatan 2026, builds compatible capabilities, enhances military-to-military coordination, and exemplifies the unwavering ‘shoulder-to-shoulder’ spirit of the alliance.
News media representatives interested in additional information or coverage opportunities may contact the exercise Public Affairs Combined Joint Information Bureau media officer at mailto:balikatan_media@usmc.mil. _____________________________________________________________________________
About Balikatan
Balikatan is a longstanding annual exercise between the Armed Forces of the Philippines and U.S. military that represents the strength of our alliance, improves our capable combined force, and demonstrates our commitment to regional peace and prosperity. For complete coverage of Balikatan 2026 activities, visit https://www.dvidshub.net/feature/Balikatan.
| Date Taken: | 05.03.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 05.04.2026 08:35 |
| Story ID: | 564269 |
| Location: | LAOAG, LUZON, PH |
| Web Views: | 42 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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