CAMP AGUINALDO, Quezon City, Philippines — The Philippines, United States, Australia, Japan, and Canada conducted a Multilateral Maritime Event off the western coast of Luzon as part of Exercise Balikatan 2026, April 23 - May 1.
The MME featured training in live-fire gunnery, anti-submarine warfare, search and rescue, and replenishment at sea as well as deck landing qualifications for rotary wing aircraft to enhance interoperability and operational readiness among participating forces.
“Each year, Balikatan evolves with the growing demands of the maritime environment,” said U.S. Navy Capt. John Baggett, commodore of DESRON 7. “This year was no different. The strength of our partnerships throughout the region was on full display as 11 ships, eight aircraft and several thousand Sailors, Marines and Coastguardsmen from around the Pacific stood shoulder-to-shoulder, increasing our lethality, expanding our interoperability, and working together to ensure a free and open Indo-Pacific region.”
Eleven vessels representing five nations joined the exercise:
"Participating in this exercise isvery importantbecause it builds trust and confidencewith our partners and allied nations,” said Philippine Navy Lt.j.g.Emmanual Leron, Philippine Navy liaison naval officer to the USS Ashland for the MME. “How we approach conducting these kinds of exercises together buildssynergyand partnership, and we get to know more about each other. It shows that all these allies and partner nations have the shared values, interests, and responsibility for maintaining peace and security in the Indo-Pacific region.”
The successful completion of the MME serves as a testament to the exercise’s expanding multilateral cooperation and reinforces our shared commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific.
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.