PH, US open Balikatan 2026 drills

The Philippines and the United States on Monday formally opened their annual joint Balikatan Exercise for this year, with 17,000 troops and several other countries expected to join.

“I hereby declare Exercise Balikatan 41-2026 officially open starting today,” AFP chief General Romeo Brawner Jr. said during the opening ceremony.

“Let this exercise not only demonstrate our readiness but affirm our commitment to stand together, to act together, and when necessary, defend together,” he added.

More than 17,000 troops from the Philippines, the United States, and partner nations including Australia, Canada, France, Japan, and New Zealand.

At least 18 more countries are expected to serve as observers in the exercise.

The drills will be conducted across various parts of the Philippines from Luzon to Mindanao.

Balikatan 2026 will cover multiple domains such as air and missile defense, maritime security, live-fire exercises, and joint readiness operations.

The exercises will also include humanitarian and civic assistance programs such as building schools, supporting healthcare initiatives, and enhancing disaster preparedness in local communities.

Brawner said the expanded scope of the exercise reflects the evolving security environment.

Balikatan 2026 will be transformed from a bilateral activity between the Philippines and US into a multilateral effort aimed at improving interoperability and collective defense capabilities.

Brawner pointed out that the drills are anchored on respect for international law, national sovereignty, and the goal of promoting a free and open Indo-Pacific.

High-end systems

The BrahMos missile of the Philippine Marine Corps will participate but only through simulation firing during a joint maritime strike, PH exercise director Major General Francisco Lorenzo said. 

No actual missile launch will occur.

“The Brahmos of the Coastal Defense Regiment of the Philippine Marines will participate during the Balikatan, but it will be only in a constructive environment,” Lorenzo said.

Aside from Brahmos, US Marine Corps’ Commanding General of the I Marine Expeditionary Force (I MEF) Lieutenant General Christian Wortman said Typhon and NMESIS systems are expected to be deployed for the drills.

“So the Typhon system remains in the Philippines and we anticipate that it will be incorporated at some level during the course of the exercise. But as I previously mentioned, the details of participation by any given system are still being finalized as part of our bilateral coordination," he said.

“We certainly welcome having the Typhon. It's an important capability in the same way we look forward to incorporating the Brahmos, the Typhon, the NMESIS and and other high-end systems,” he added. — AOL/RSJ, GMA News