Balikatan includes seven countries

Balikatan 2026 brought together seven participating countries, not just the Philippines and the United States. Official U.S. and Philippine military releases said Australia, Japan, Canada, France and New Zealand joined this year’s drills, making the 41st iteration the most expansive Balikatan to date. The exercise ran from April 20 to May 8 across the Philippines and involved more than 17,000 personnel, according to military statements. South China Morning Post reported on May 24 that the wider lineup underscored the increasingly multilateral character of the annual exercise. ### Which seven countries were in Balikatan 2026? The seven participating nations were the Philippines, the United States, Australia, Japan, Canada, France and New Zealand, according to the opening ceremony release from Marine Corps Forces, Pacific and parallel statements from U.S. military commands. Philippine state news agency PNA separately reported the same lineup in April, citing Balikatan spokesperson Marine Col. Dennis Fernandez. (marforpac.marines.mil) April 20 marked the formal opening in Camp Aguinaldo, where military officials and diplomats from those seven countries attended the ceremony. U.S. and Philippine releases described that attendance as a preview of the broader multinational cooperation built into the exercise. ### Was this still a U.S.-Philippine drill if seven countries took part? (marforpac.marines.mil) Balikatan remains the annual bilateral exercise conducted by the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the U.S. military. Official descriptions from Marine Corps Forces, Pacific and the U.S. Pacific Fleet called it the largest annual bilateral exercise between the Philippines and the United States even as additional allies and partners took part. (marforpac.marines.mil) May 8 statements from U.S. Indo-Pacific Command and Philippine military outlets said five ally and partner nations joined the two treaty allies “from start to finish.” That structure left the Philippines and the United States as the core exercise organizers while widening participation around them. ### How big was Balikatan 2026? More than 17,000 personnel took part in Balikatan 2026, according to U.S. and Philippine military releases. (marforpac.marines.mil) Marine Corps Forces, Pacific used the phrase “most expansive Balikatan exercise to date,” while U.S. Indo-Pacific Command called the 41st iteration “the most expansive Balikatan to date” at the close of the drills. (pacom.mil) The training covered air, land, sea, cyber and space-related activities, according to official summaries. PNA reported in April that the drills would span land, sea, air and cyberspace domains, while U.S. military material described maritime drills, coastal defense training, joint live-fire exercises and humanitarian projects. ### Why did Japan’s role draw attention? Japan was one of the five additional participating nations, and outside coverage highlighted its inclusion because Tokyo has been expanding security ties with Manila. (imef.marines.mil) The Diplomat reported in April that this year’s drills were the largest so far by number of participating countries and said Canada, France, New Zealand and Japan joined as active participants. (pna.gov.ph) May 19 remarks by Admiral Samuel Paparo, the head of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, added a sharper official description of the exercise. USNI reported Paparo said Balikatan 2026 was a “rehearsal for the defense of the Philippines” amid what he called a “dangerous security environment.” ### Where can readers verify the details next? The April 20 opening releases from Marine Corps Forces, Pacific and related U.S. command pages list the seven participating nations and describe the exercise as the most expansive to date. (thediplomat.com) The May 8 closing releases from U.S. Indo-Pacific Command and Philippine military outlets provide the post-exercise accounting, including dates, personnel totals and participating countries. (marforpac.marines.mil) (news.usni.org)