Philippine Army (PA) Commanding General Lt. Gen. Antonio G. Nafarrete on Saturday reaffirmed the strong bilateral alliance between the PA and its United States Army counterpart. This followed a high-level visit and meeting with United States Army Pacific (USARPAC) Commanding General Gen. Ronald P. Clark at the Headquarters Philippine Army, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City on 12 February 2026.

Gen. Clark’s visit comes ahead of the upcoming Exercise Salaknib between the two ground forces and Exercise Balikatan, also scheduled in April 2026. The high-level visit also builds on momentum from the December 2025 meeting between the two leaders in Japan and the 14th Steering Committee Meeting (SCM) at Headquarters Philippine Army in November 2025.

“The Philippine Army is firmly committed to deepening our partnership with the U.S. Army,” Lt. Gen. Nafarrete said. “Together with like-minded nations, we are dedicated to maintaining regional stability and promoting peace across the broader Indo-Pacific Region,” he added.

The Philippine Army is bolstering its security and defense partnership with the U.S. Army Pacific in line with its active transition from internal security to external security operations.