FORT BONIFACIO, Taguig City — Philippine Army and United States Army troops engaged in a series of intensive combined training activities covering Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) defense, Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD), jungle survival, and pier survey operations as part of the ongoing 41st iteration of Exercise Balikatan, being held at multiple training sites across the country.
The exercises, which are scheduled to conclude on May 8, 2026, involve the ground components of both the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the United States Armed Forces, along with other participating militaries conducting combined and joint training activities alongside the other major service branches.
CBRN and EOD Drills Test Combined Response Readiness at Camp Aquino
Philippine Army CBRN soldiers and their U.S. Army counterparts carried out mock chemical incident scenarios at Camp Aquino in Tarlac City, focusing on sharpening their combined response capabilities against CBRN and EOD threats in simulated complex battlefield environments.
According to a statement released by Colonel Louie G. Dema-ala, Chief Public Affairs of the Philippine Army, the training is designed to reinforce interoperability and operational readiness between the two allied forces. The drills simulate realistic scenarios that both armies could face in joint operations involving chemical or explosive hazards.
The exercises at Camp Aquino represent a critical component of the broader Balikatan framework, which emphasizes combined warfighting readiness across a spectrum of battlefield conditions. CBRN threats are considered among the most complex challenges in modern military operations, requiring specialized training, equipment, and coordination between allied units.
Combat Engineers Build Fortifications and Obstacle Systems in Bilateral Drills
Beyond CBRN and EOD scenarios, Philippine Army and U.S. Army Pacific combat engineers participated in bilateral drills that included digging field fortifications and conducting rapid obstacle emplacement exercises.
In his official statement, Colonel Dema-ala noted that these engineering drills "directly supported shared defense capabilities," with the goal of improving the allied forces' ability to "secure key terrain, protect formations, and enable follow-on operations anywhere across the region."
The combat engineering component of Balikatan 2026 underscores the practical, field-level nature of the exercise. Rather than focusing solely on command-level coordination, the drills bring soldiers from both armies together to practice real-world tactical tasks that would be required in active joint operations.
Field fortification and obstacle emplacement are foundational combat engineering tasks that play a decisive role in defensive operations, serving to slow enemy movement, channel opposing forces into predetermined engagement areas, and protect friendly troops and logistics nodes.
Philippine Special Forces Lead Jungle Survival Training in Fort Magsaysay
In Nueva Ecija, Philippine Army Special Forces troops facilitated jungle survival training for U.S. Army soldiers at Fort Magsaysay, one of the largest military training reservations in Southeast Asia.
Jungle survival training involves instruction in navigation, foraging, shelter construction, evasion, and other skills essential for operating in dense tropical terrain. The Philippines' geographic and ecological environment makes it one of the most relevant locations in the Asia-Pacific region for this type of training.
The facilitation of the training by Philippine Army Special Forces highlights the reciprocal nature of the Balikatan exercises, where both the Philippine and U.S. sides contribute expertise and instruction depending on the domain. Philippine forces bring particular proficiency in jungle warfare and survival, an area where the country's terrain and military experience provide a significant instructional advantage.
Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija has historically served as a key venue for jungle warfare and combat training within the Balikatan exercise series, given its expansive terrain suitable for field operations and live-fire exercises.
Pier Survey Drills in Dingalan, Aurora Assess Amphibious Logistics Capability
In a separate activity, Philippine Army and U.S. Army troops conducted pier survey drills in Dingalan, Aurora, on the eastern coast of Luzon. The objective of the exercise was to assess the condition of underwater structures and identify any obstructions that could affect whether cargo and equipment can be unloaded directly onto a beach.
Pier and beach survey operations are a critical element of amphibious logistics planning. Before any large-scale beach landing or coastal offload of military supplies, specialized teams must evaluate the seabed, underwater infrastructure, and coastal approaches to ensure safe and efficient operations.
The choice of Dingalan, Aurora — a municipality located along the Pacific coast — is significant from a strategic standpoint, as the area offers coastal conditions relevant to real-world amphibious and logistics scenarios that may be encountered across the region.
This type of survey capability is closely linked to broader maritime and joint logistics operations that are increasingly emphasized in contemporary Philippine-U.S. alliance exercises, reflecting the growing importance of sea-based logistics and coastal access in regional security planning.
41st Balikatan Exercise Spans Multiple Domains and Locations Nationwide
Exercise Balikatan — derived from the Filipino word meaning "shoulder to shoulder" — is an annual bilateral military exercise between the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the United States Armed Forces. Now in its 41st iteration in 2026, the exercise has grown significantly in scope and complexity over the decades.
The 2026 edition involves training activities spread across multiple provinces and installations throughout the country, reflecting the multi-domain nature of modern military readiness. In addition to the CBRN, EOD, jungle survival, and pier survey components highlighted in this release, Balikatan 2026 also encompasses activities across other major service branches, including naval and air force components.
According to the Philippine Army's public affairs office, all Philippine Army and U.S. Army ground component activities are being conducted in coordination with the broader joint and combined exercise structure that governs the full Balikatan program.
The exercises are framed within the context of the Mutual Defense Treaty between the Philippines and the United States, which has underpinned the bilateral security relationship since 1951. Balikatan serves as one of the primary mechanisms through which both militaries maintain interoperability and test their combined readiness across a range of scenarios.
Exercise Scheduled to Conclude May 8, 2026
The 41st Exercise Balikatan is set to conclude on May 8, 2026. The Philippine Army, as the ground component lead on the Philippine side, has been conducting activities at multiple training sites across Luzon and other parts of the country throughout the exercise period.
Colonel Dema-ala, in his capacity as Chief Public Affairs of the Philippine Army, issued the official statement covering the latest round of training activities. Photos documenting the exercises were provided by the U.S. Army Pacific.
The conclusion of Balikatan 2026 will mark the end of one of the most comprehensive iterations of the annual exercise in recent years, with training activities spanning an unusually broad range of warfighting domains — from CBRN defense and combat engineering to jungle survival and amphibious logistics survey operations.
Officials have not yet indicated the specific schedule for the formal closing ceremony or post-exercise assessments, but both the Philippine Army and U.S. Army Pacific are expected to issue after-action statements once the exercise wraps up on May 8.
Photo credit: Photo courtesy of U.S. Army Pacific