Australia’s largest overseas military exercise for the year has officially begun, with the launch of Exercise Alon 25 in the Philippines. 

The two-week exercise, running from 15 to 29 August, brings together more than 3,600 military personnel from Australia, the Philippines, Canada, and the United States.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Australian Defence Force (ADF) will train together at locations around the islands of Palawan and Luzon.

Members of the Royal Canadian Navy and the United States Marine Corps’ Marine Rotation Force – Darwin will also participate in land, air, and maritime drills.

Vice Admiral Justin Jones AO CSC, Chief of Joint Operations for the Australian Defence Force (ADF), said the scale and scope of the exercise reflected the growing strength of Australia’s strategic partnership with the Philippines.

“We’re proud to conduct our largest overseas exercise with the Philippines, and continue to build on our close cooperation,” Jones said.

“Exercise Alon 25 is an opportunity for us to practise how we collaborate and respond to shared security challenges, and project force over great distances in the Indo-Pacific,” he added. 

Now in its third iteration since 2023, Exercise Alon has expanded significantly, incorporating operations across the land, sea, air, cyber, and space domains.

The ADF involvement this year includes an Australian Amphibious Force Joint Task Force Headquarters, Navy’s Hobart-class destroyer, HMAS Brisbane, an Army combined Arms Land Task Group, and an Air Task Group of Super Hornets, Growlers, and Hercules aircraft.

One of the exercise’s major components will involve a large-scale airlift of an Australian Army battle group, including armoured, engineering, artillery, and medical units, demonstrating long-range force projection capabilities.

Participating forces will also undertake amphibious landing operations, live fire drills, and maritime maneuvers, strengthening interoperability between the nations.

Meanwhile, underscored the importance of building strong personal and professional ties between partner forces during the exercise.

“The value of this training comes from the people-to-people links and the opportunity to exchange practices when we conduct an Exercise of this scale,” he said.

He noted that the exercise will strengthen coordination between Australian and Philippine forces in addressing regional security challenges.

“We will come away from Exercise Alon 25 with experience that will enhance our interoperability with the Philippines and ensure that we can work together in support of regional security.”

Exercise Alon 25 is being conducted with strict safety protocols and advanced public notifications, ensuring both community safety and maximum training benefit.

The exercise marks another significant step in Australia’s commitment to a free, open, and stable Indo-Pacific region, where state sovereignty is respected and international law is upheld.