Phl, Australian defense chiefs witness joint military drills in Palawan

Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. and Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Richard Marles on Sunday praised the seamless coordination and execution of a large-scale joint military exercise conducted along Long Beach in San Vicente, Palawan, calling it a major milestone in defense cooperation between the two countries.

The activity, part of Exercise Amphibious and Land Operations 2025 (Exercise ALON 25), featured a Combined Joint Forcible Entry Operation (CJFEO), where Philippine and Australian amphibious forces, backed by naval, air, and ground units, demonstrated their capacity to conduct coordinated maritime strike missions, amphibious assaults, and naval gunfire support in littoral environments.

“The exercise was very, very impressive,” Teodoro said in an ambush interview shortly after the exercise execution.

“This is a new venue, and you saw that the coordination between both the Australian and the Philippine forces was smooth. So, we hope to be able to logisticize and to think of new scenarios as it evolves,” he added. 

The CJFEO showcased the two nations’ ability to conduct coordinated naval gunfire support, amphibious assault, and maritime strike missions, underscoring their capacity to project joint force and secure littoral terrain in strategically vital areas.

“A tremendous amount of logistics and planning have gone into what we witnessed here. I think credit also goes to not only those who actually participated in the assault, but those who went into the months of planning, months of preparation,” Teodoro said. 

“Things like this are done with advanced planning, with the realization that in a moment's notice, let's say for a typhoon or for whatnot, we may have to operate together.”

Meanwhile, Marles called the event a testament to the interoperability of both nations' armed forces and the strength of their defense relationship.

He also hailed the synergy between the participating forces. He highlighted the importance of such engagements for the interoperability between the Philippines and Australia, along with other like-minded partners.

“This exercise is about Australia and the Philippines, and there's a Canadian and a US component to it. It's about our relationship with those countries as well,” Marles said. 

“But this is about building the interoperability between two countries which share values and have one intent, and that is to uphold the rules-based order in this region,” he added.

The two defense leaders also observed the airfield seizure execution, which further highlighted the interoperability and combined capabilities of Philippine and Australian forces in complex operational environments.

Exercise ALON 25, being held from 15 to 29 August 2025 within the Northern Luzon Command (NOLCOM) and Western Command (WESCOM) Joint Operational Areas, involves around 3,600 personnel from the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), Australian Defence Force (ADF), United States Marine Corps, and the Royal Canadian Navy. 

This year’s iteration also features special operations integration, cyber resilience, civil-military and religious capability engagements, and public affairs cooperation. 

Representatives from the United States, Canada, Japan, the Republic of Korea, New Zealand, and Indonesia also participated as part of the International Observers’ Program for the exercise, underscoring the positive impact of joint exercises and serving as a platform for knowledge exchange among defense partners.

First conducted in 2023, Exercise ALON — from the Filipino word for “wave” — continues to symbolize the Philippines’ commitment to collective security, interoperability, and regional cooperation.

On Friday, Teodoro and Marles convened the 2nd Philippines–Australia Defense Ministers Meeting (DMM), where both officials reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening the bilateral defense partnership and enhancing regional security cooperation.