The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), the United States Armed Forces, the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF), and Canada conducted a coordinated Maritime Strike (MARSTRIKE) exercise on May 6, 2026, at Culili Point, Paoay, Ilocos Norte, as part of Exercise Balikatan 41-2026 — marking a historic milestone in the long-running annual joint military exercise between the Philippines and its allies.
The multinational drill, monitored at the highest levels of government and defense from both Manila and the training site, demonstrated what military officials described as growing interoperability across maritime, air, and ground domains in a complex multi-threat environment.
Japan Fires Type 88 Missile System for First Time in Balikatan History
The centerpiece of the May 6 exercise was the successful engagement of the decommissioned Philippine Navy vessel BRP Quezon (PS70), which served as the designated surface target. The JGSDF employed its Type 88 Surface-to-Ship Missile System to strike the vessel — the first time the platform has been used in the history of Exercise Balikatan.
The Type 88 is a land-based anti-ship missile system capable of engaging naval targets at extended ranges. Its deployment in a multinational exercise setting alongside Philippine and American platforms represents a significant expansion in the scope and sophistication of Balikatan drills.
According to the AFP, the engagement demonstrated the effectiveness of synchronized precision strike capabilities against maritime threats, with the decommissioned vessel successfully neutralized during the exercise.
AFP, US, and Canadian Assets Deployed Across Air, Sea, and Land Domains
The Philippine military contributed several major platforms to the exercise. Naval assets included BRP Miguel Malvar (FFG6) and BRP Antonio Luna (FFG15), two of the Philippine Navy's most capable frigates. Air power was provided by FA-50 fighter aircraft and A-29 Super Tucano aircraft from the Philippine Air Force.
United States forces reinforced the strike package with a range of advanced systems, including P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft, MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aerial systems, High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), the Naval Strike Missile Employable Shore-based Integrated System (NMESIS), and the K-1000.
Canada contributed HMCS Charlottetown (FFH-339), a Halifax-class guided-missile frigate, to the exercise — reinforcing the exercise's expanding multinational character. Japan also provided additional intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) support through its ScanEagle unmanned aerial system, complementing the JGSDF's ground-based missile engagement.
A total of 18 international observers were present at the training area, further underscoring the broad defense interest generated by the Balikatan 41-2026 exercises.
President Marcos and AFP Chief Monitor from Camp Aguinaldo
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. monitored the maritime strike exercise from the Camp Aguinaldo Command and Control Center in Quezon City, alongside AFP Chief of Staff General Romeo S. Brawner Jr. and U.S. Chargé d'Affaires a.i. Y. Robert Ewing.
At the training site in Ilocos Norte, Defense Secretary Gilberto C. Teodoro Jr. witnessed the exercise in person, joined by Japan Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi and Japanese Ambassador to the Philippines Kazuhiko Endo. The presence of senior defense officials from both Japan and the Philippines at the live-fire site underscored the diplomatic weight attached to the MARSTRIKE activity.
The dual monitoring setup — with the Commander-in-Chief observing remotely and the defense secretary present at the scene — reflected the operational scale and political significance of the Balikatan 41-2026 maritime exercise.
AFP Spokesperson: Exercise Proves Multi-Domain Integration Capability
In a statement released following the exercise, AFP Balikatan spokesperson Col. Dennis Hernandez highlighted the operational significance of the MARSTRIKE drill within the broader context of regional security.
"The successful execution of the Maritime Strike activity demonstrates the growing level of interoperability between the Armed Forces of the Philippines and our allies. Through coordinated planning, information-sharing, and precision engagement, we were able to effectively integrate maritime, air, and ground capabilities in a complex operational environment," Colonel Hernandez said.
He further stated that the activity strengthens collective maritime security and supports a stable, rules-based Indo-Pacific region — language that aligns with longstanding Philippine and American policy positions on freedom of navigation and regional order.
Balikatan 41-2026: Expanding Scope and Alliances
Exercise Balikatan — whose name is a Filipino word meaning "shoulder to shoulder" — is an annual joint military exercise between the Philippines and the United States that has been conducted for decades. In recent years, the exercise has expanded in both scale and participation, with Japan and other partner nations taking on more prominent roles.
The inclusion of Canada's HMCS Charlottetown and Japan's Type 88 missile system in the May 6 MARSTRIKE drill reflects the broader trend of Balikatan evolving from a bilateral U.S.-Philippine exercise into a wider multilateral platform for Indo-Pacific security cooperation.
The 41st iteration of Balikatan continues to build on previous exercises that have incorporated live-fire drills, cyber defense components, humanitarian assistance simulations, and amphibious landing exercises. The MARSTRIKE at Culili Point, Paoay, Ilocos Norte on May 6, 2026, now stands as a recorded first in the exercise's history — the first deployment of the JGSDF's Type 88 Surface-to-Ship Missile System in any Balikatan exercise.
Ilocos Norte Site Chosen for Strategic Maritime Positioning
The choice of Culili Point in Paoay, Ilocos Norte as the MARSTRIKE training site places the exercise along the northwestern coastline of Luzon, facing the South China Sea — a body of water that has been the subject of ongoing territorial disputes involving the Philippines, China, and other regional claimants.
The location allows for realistic maritime engagement scenarios involving surface vessels at extended ranges, making it suitable for demonstrating the Type 88's capabilities alongside shipborne and airborne strike assets. The decommissioned BRP Quezon (PS70), stripped of personnel and equipment, served as a controlled target that allowed allied forces to conduct a live-fire strike under coordinated conditions.
The AFP confirmed that the exercise was conducted in accordance with established safety protocols and was coordinated through joint planning mechanisms between Philippine, American, Japanese, and Canadian defense authorities in the lead-up to May 6.
Regional Security Framework Behind the Exercise
Exercise Balikatan 41-2026 takes place amid heightened attention to maritime security in the Indo-Pacific, with the Philippines, the United States, Japan, and Canada all maintaining stated commitments to a free and open regional order governed by international law.
The Philippine government has in recent years strengthened its defense ties with the United States, Japan, and Australia, among other partners, through a series of bilateral and multilateral security arrangements. These include expanded access agreements, joint patrols, and increased arms and equipment cooperation.
The presence of Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi at the Ilocos Norte training site alongside Philippine Defense Secretary Teodoro signals a continued deepening of Japan-Philippines defense engagement, which has grown significantly over the past several years.
With Balikatan 41-2026 still ongoing as of May 7, 2026, further exercises and activities are expected to be announced by the AFP and its allied partners in the coming days.
Photo credit: Photo by SSg Ambay PA, Cpl Esteban PN(M), A1C Castro PAF, Ms. Dalsi Almazan / PAOAFP