Balikatan 2026: Assessment and Update on U.S.-Philippines Alliance

On June 4, Aaron-Matthew Lariosa, a security analyst and journalist covering the U.S.-Philippine defense relationship and naval developments in the Indo-Pacific, provided an insightful briefing on the recently concluded Balikatan 2026 military exercises held in northern Luzon, Philippines. Drawing from first hand experience observing coastal defense and maritime strike drills, he noted greater intensity in terms of scale, focus and complexity, tactical planning challenges, including protracted conflicts, employing drones, seen in today’s ongoing wars. In addition to American and Philippine military forces, Balikatan participants included a component of a Canadian regiment, Japan Self-Defense forces, and NATO observers from Sweden and Germany, among others.

Discussion ranged from implications for evolving roles in the Philippines-U.S. security alliance, Philippine capacity building, handling of cybersecurity protocol and social media sensitive to national security, military organizational improvements toward unified military responses, transparency supporting local awareness and adopting social strategies to fully understand Philippine culture, and lessons learned from Japanese developmental and business engagements across the islands.

Forum participants included US-Philippine Society founding director and former Ambassador to the Philippines Thomas Hubbard, US-Philippines Society director Roberto Llames, leading security and defense analysts, and former senior U.S. Special Forces officer.