Philippine soldiers take part in Balikatan drills with members of the U.S. Army’s 25th Infantry Division at Fort Magsaysay, Philippines, April 30, 2026. (Aaron Kidd/Stars and Stripes)
FORT MAGSAYSAY, Philippines — Under a punishing tropical sun, American and Filipino soldiers moved through dense jungle terrain on Thursday, diving into cover and advancing toward a simulated enemy bunker in a drill that reflected the evolving nature of modern warfare.
The troops, firing blank ammunition, pressed through an overgrown gully as a reconnaissance drone hovered overhead, guiding their movements. The drill culminated in the bunker’s destruction using a small kamikaze drone, an example of how rapidly battlefield technology is being integrated into small units.
The exercise was part of Balikatan, the annual joint training between the United States and the Philippines, which this year has drawn about 17,000 troops from seven nations. The drills, which began April 20 and run through May 8, span the Philippine archipelago and include operations on land, at sea and in the air.
At Fort Magsaysay, about 60 miles north of Manila, soldiers from the Hawaii-based 3rd Mobile Brigade and the Philippine army’s 1st Brigade Combat Team trained side by side in conditions that tested both their endurance and coordination. Temperatures climbed to about 95 degrees Fahrenheit.
American and Filipino soldiers work together to take out a mock enemy bunker during a Balikatan drill at Fort Magsaysay, Philippines, April 30, 2026. (Aaron Kidd/Stars and Stripes)
American and Filipino soldiers check out a surveillance drone during a Baliktan drill at Fort Magsaysay, Philippines, April 30, 2026. (Aaron Kidd/Stars and Stripes)
Members of the Hawaii-based 3rd Mobile Brigade take aim at an opposing force during Balikatan training at Fort Magsaysay, Philippines, April 30, 2026. (Aaron Kidd/Stars and Stripes)
Troops playing the role of the enemy lie defeated by a combined force of U.S. and Filipino soldiers during Balikatan training at Fort Magsaysay, Philippines, April 30, 2026. (Aaron Kidd/Stars and Stripes)
A Filipino soldier takes a knee in tall grass during Balikatan training at Fort Magsaysay, Philippines, April 30, 2026. (Aaron Kidd/Stars and Stripes)
U.S. Army Col. Adisa King, commander of the Hawaii-based 3rd Mobile Brigade, praises U.S. and Filipino soldiers after a Balikatan drill at Fort Magsaysay, Philippines, April 30, 2026. (Aaron Kidd/Stars and Stripes)
Brig. Gen. Von Albert Sumergido, commander of the Philippine army's 1st Brigade, addresses U.S. and Filipino soldiers after a Balikatan drill at Fort Magsaysay, Philippines, April 30, 2026. (Aaron Kidd/Stars and Stripes)
“It’s a jungle patrol with our new tech integrated,” Capt. Logan Wolfley, who led the combined platoon, told reporters ahead of the drill. “We will be knocking out a bunker as a platoon.”
The training underscored a broader shift in the U.S. military’s approach in the Indo-Pacific, where forces are preparing for potential conflicts across island chains and maritime corridors. Elsewhere during Balikatan, including on the Batanes Islands near Taiwan, U.S. and Philippine troops have deployed the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, or HIMARS, and the Navy-Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System, or NMESIS, designed to strike ships in nearby waters.
For commanders, the emphasis is not only on firepower but on coordination between allied forces and the integration of new technology. Col. Adisa King, commander of the 3rd Mobile Brigade, said both militaries are adapting.
“My partner here is transforming as well,” he said, referring to Brig. Gen. Von Albert Sumergido, commander of the Philippine army’s 1st Brigade.
King praised the troops’ performance and told them to ask themselves: “If you had to keep going, could you?”
Sumergido said the drill highlighted the strengths of each force – the Filipino’s familiarity with the terrain and the Americans’ technological capabilities.
“In the past when we did a raid, we really had to see the eyelids of the enemy,” he told the soldiers. “This is a good demonstration of how allies can move together, given the proper planning and equipment.”
