Air Force Tech. Sgt. Gregory Talbot, an electrical power production craftsman, helps build a classroom in Quezon, Philippines, April 9, 2026, in the leadup to the multinational Balikatan military exercise. (Mia Ocampo/U.S. Marine Corps)
More than 17,000 troops from the United States and six allied nations will train across the Philippines from April 20 to May 8 during the annual Balikatan exercise, U.S. and Philippine officials said.
The drills will include about 10,000 U.S. service members alongside forces from the Philippines, Australia, Canada, France, Japan and New Zealand, according to a Tuesday email from U.S. Marine 1st Lt. Ben Gillman, an exercise spokesman.
Balikatan — a Tagalog term meaning “shoulder to shoulder — comes amid ongoing tensions with China over Taiwan and in the South China Sea and a naval blockade of Iran by U.S. forces.
Training will take place across land, sea, air and space and cyber domains, organizers said in a statement Monday.
“By training together with our friends and partners using the most advanced systems, we are not just enhancing our shared capabilities; we are forging the trust and readiness required to secure a prosperous and peaceful future for the region,” Lt. Gen. Christian Wortman, commander of the I Marine Expeditionary Force, said in the statement.
Seventeen additional nations are expected to send observers.
Philippine army Maj. Gen. Francisco Lorenzo said training with American and other forces prepares his troops to face any challenge.
“This exercise is a prime opportunity for the Armed Forces of the Philippines to accelerate our modernization and enhance our capabilities as a vanguard of regional peace,” said Lorenzo, who leads the Philippine military’s Education and Training Command.
Soldiers with the U.S. Army’s 25th Infantry Division train with Filipino troops at Fort Magsaysay, Philippines, April 8, 2026. The division is slated to join the upcoming Balikatan drills in the islands. (Duke Edwards/U.S. Army)
During the exercise, U.S. and Philippine forces will form joint task forces to strengthen command and control, organizers said. Training will include maritime security, coastal defense and the integration of combined fires.
The drills will also include logistics exercises such as ship-to-shore offloads and sustained movement of supplies and equipment.
Warships from the United States, the Philippines, Canada and Japan will participate in multilateral maritime drills along the Philippines’ western coast, including deck landings, gunnery, anti-submarine warfare and search-and-rescue training.
Troops will also take part in engineering projects and community health engagements.
Participating U.S. units include I Marine Expeditionary Force, the 1st Marine Division, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, 3rd Marine Logistics Group, 3rd Marine Littoral Regiment and Marine Rotational Force-Darwin, Gillman said.
The U.S. Navy is sending the dock landing ship USS Ashland and Expeditionary Strike Group 3, he said.
Other U.S. forces include special operations units, the Army’s 25th Infantry Division and 1st Multi-Domain Task Force, the Air Force’s 317th Airlift Wing and fighter units, and the Coast Guard cutter Midgett, Gillman said.
