Balikatan 2026 Opening Ceremony Highlights Strong Alliance as U.S. Army Trains Across the Archipelago

CAMP AGUINALDO, Quezon City, Philippines– Exercise Balikatan 2026, the 41st iteration of the largest annual bilateral exercise between the Philippines and the United States, commenced with an opening ceremony today, marking the official integration of U.S. Army forces, led by the 25th Infantry Division, into the multilateral training event.

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 regional peace and prosperity.

“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 well before the opening ceremony during Salaknib Part I, executing foundational training that recently featured a successful bilateral High Mobility Artillery Rocket System live-fire exercise between the 25th Infantry Division and the Philippine Army. Spearheading the U.S. Army’s ground and logistics operations for the exercise are the 25th Infantry Division and the 8th Theater Sustainment Command. Logisticians from the 8th Theater Sustainment Command efficiently 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 local barangays.

“This year’s Balikatan is particularly significant as it allows the transformed 25th Infantry Division to test new capabilities and concepts in a complex archipelagic environment,” said Maj. Gen. James Bartholomees, commander of the 25th Infantry Division. “Whether our Soldiers are employing new mobility assets in the jungle or integrating advanced capabilities during the Counter-Landing Live-Fire Exercise, we are building tangible, ground-level interoperability with our Philippine Army counterparts while driving Army transformation in the Pacific,” said Bartholomees.

As multilateral operational training across all domains, which consist of air, land, sea, space, and cyber, begins this week, the U.S. Army is postured to lead and support several complex joint events. Upcoming highlights for Army forces include the Counter-Landing Live-Fire event in northern Luzon and the execution of the bilateral Jungle Operations Training Course. During the ceremony, leaders unfurled the exercise’s ceremonial flag and service members exchanged patches, reaffirming Balikatan 2026’s foundational importance to more than just 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, ad interim, 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 mailto: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. For complete coverage of Balikatan 2026 activities, visithttps://mcas-proxyweb.mcas-gov.us/certificate-checker?login=false&originalUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com.mcas-gov.us%2Furl%3Fq%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fwww.dvidshub.net%252Ffeature%252FBalikatan%26McasTsid%3D20892&McasCSRF=53269eb8c73095d0c236953a0c2314a768f4cd1cf7ccbca766c766e3b3f3f75a.