Hanoi (VNA) – The Philippines and its allies on April 6 officially launched Phase 1 of Exercise Salaknib 2026 at Fort Magsaysay in Palayan city, Nueva Ecija province, with the participation of more than 7,000 troops from the Philippines, the US, Japan and Australia.
In a statement, Maj. Gen. Efren Morados, Vice Commander of the Philippine Army, underscored the importance of strengthening alliances and creating opportunities for soldiers to learn from one another. He said the exercise is guided by clear strategic objectives to enhance combined arms operations, improve multi-domain interoperability, and reinforce a credible and sustainable regional security architecture.
Meanwhile, Maj. Gen. James Bartholomees, Commanding General of the 25th Infantry Division stressed that closely integrated defence capabilities among allies would ensure peace, deter aggression, and maintain a free and open Indo-Pacific.
Exercise Salaknib, first held in 2015, is a key annual training activity between the Philippine Army and the US Army Pacific, conducted under the framework of the two countries’ Mutual Defence Treaty.
This year marks the first time that the Japan Ground Self-Defence Force and the Australian Army are participating as full-fledged forces, making it the largest iteration of the exercise to date among participating militaries.
Phase 1 of the exercise runs from April 6 to 17. Phase 2 is scheduled for May and June, following the annual Balikatan drills, which are set to take place from April to May.
The multilateral exercises will focus on maritime and territorial defence, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, as well as amphibious operations and combined arms manoeuvres./.
