MANILA — The United States and the Philippines began one of their largest annual combat exercises on April 20, 2026, bringing together more than 17,000 military personnel for nearly three weeks of drills across the archipelago. The Balikatan exercise will include mock battle scenarios and live-fire maneuvers in Philippine provinces facing the disputed South China Sea and the Taiwan Strait.

Nearly 10,000 U.S. military personnel will take part in the combat drills, which the Philippine military said will expand this year to include forces from Japan, France and Canada, countries that have signed visiting forces agreements with Manila. The exercise is an annual display of allied military might aimed at deterring aggression in Asia.

U.S. military officials said the deployment reflects Washington's focus on Asia despite its preoccupation with the war against Iran. "Regardless of the challenges elsewhere in the world, the United States focus on the Indo-Pacific and our ironclad commitment to the Philippines remains unwavering," Marine Lt. Gen. Christian Wortman said.

Armed Forces of the Philippines chief of staff Gen. Romeo Brawner said the multinational combat drills build deterrence and resilience against aggression in the region. He did not mention any country in his speech. "We remain guided by a shared commitment to uphold international law, to respect sovereignty and to contribute to a free and open Indo-Pacific where nations can thrive without coercion," Brawner said.

Philippine marine Col. Dennis Hernandez said that during the drills, Japanese forces will fire missiles from a coastal area in Ilocos Norte to sink a mock enemy ship about 40 kilometers away in the peripheries of the South China Sea. Hernandez said U.S. forces will use a marine drone laden with explosives to further bombard the enemy ship.

China claims virtually the entirety of the South China Sea, while the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan also lay claims to the waters. In recent years, territorial confrontations between Chinese and Filipino forces have increased in the South China Sea. China has objected to the U.S.-Philippine drills, saying they are aimed at containing China's global rise.

The Philippine military said the exercise does not target any country and is needed to prepare allied forces to respond to natural disasters. The U.S. has warned China that it is obligated to defend the Philippines, its oldest treaty ally in Asia, if Filipino forces come under an armed attack in disputed waters.