Biggest Balikatan Begins

The United States and the Philippines opened Balikatan 2026 on Monday, starting their widest military exercise yet with Japan joining in force. (pacom.mil) The 41st Balikatan runs from April 20 to May 8 across the Philippine archipelago. U.S. Indo-Pacific Command said more than 17,000 personnel from the Philippines, the United States, Australia, Japan, Canada, France, and New Zealand are taking part, with 17 other nations attending as observers. (pacom.mil) Agence France-Presse reported Japan sent 1,400 personnel, its largest and most direct Balikatan role so far. The drills include live-fire events in northern Luzon facing the Taiwan Strait and in Palawan near the South China Sea. (english.aawsat.com) Japan’s role marks a break from past Balikatan editions, when its participation centered on trainers for disaster response. Armed Forces of the Philippines chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. said on March 24 that Japanese “combat troops” would join the 2026 exercise for the first time since 1945. (pna.gov.ph) The exercise lands in the 75th year of the U.S.-Philippine Mutual Defense Treaty, the alliance Manila treats as the core of its external defense. U.S. Indo-Pacific Command said this year’s training spans air, land, sea, space, and cyber operations, with capstone events focused on maritime security, coastal defense, and combined fires. (pacom.mil) The geography tracks the Philippines’ two main security pressures. AFP said the northward drills rehearse operations near the Bashi Channel and Taiwan approaches, while western activities sit closer to waters where Philippine and Chinese vessels have clashed repeatedly. (english.aawsat.com) Balikatan also follows a year of faster defense deals between Manila and U.S. partners. AFP and other Philippine officials have said the country has signed visiting-forces or equivalent access agreements in the past two years with Japan, New Zealand, Canada, and France to make joint training easier. (english.aawsat.com) China objected as the drills opened. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said military cooperation in the region should not “deepen division” or be directed at third parties, while U.S. and Philippine officials said the exercise is meant to sharpen alliance readiness and interoperability. (straitstimes.com, pna.gov.ph) One of the most closely watched events will come off northern Paoay, where AFP exercise spokesman Col. Dennis Hernandez said Japanese forces will use a Type 88 missile in a ship-sinking drill. By May 8, Balikatan will have tested how far Manila, Washington, and their partners can turn new defense ties into operations on the water and along the Philippine coast. (english.aawsat.com)