U.S., Phl troops begin two-week Balikatan exercise in Mindanao

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY — U.S. and Philippine Army troops will conduct a two-week military exercise focused on territorial defense, including coastal defense simulations and deployment, an army official said Thursday.

Major General Michele Anayron, commanding general of the Army’s 4th Infantry Division, said a company-sized U.S. Army contingent arrived Tuesday at Lumbia Air Base—one of nine Philippine military facilities designated under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA)—for the annual Balikatan joint training with Philippine troops, focusing on humanitarian assistance and disaster response.

“The joint training will be conducted at Macabalan Bay simulating coastal landing,” he said in a statement.

He added that the two-week exercise, the first in Mindanao, aims to provide Army troops with basic training in coordination with allied forces in case of “any eventuality.”

A bus carrying U.S. servicemen in civilian clothes entered Lumbia Air Base in Cagayan de Oro on Tuesday, March 10, 2026. The personnel are in Northern Mindanao for joint training with the 4th Infantry Division, focusing on humanitarian assistance and disaster response (HADR) at the designated EDCA site.

Some U.S. servicemen were reportedly seen checking in at several downtown hotels, signaling the start of the scheduled joint training activities in the city.

Lumbia Air Base, formerly the city’s civilian airport, was later converted into a Philippine Air Force installation and designated as an EDCA site for joint activities between Philippine and U.S. forces.

“The visiting troops are in Northern Mindanao to conduct training with Philippine soldiers on humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) operations,” Anayron said.

“This training has nothing to do with the West Philippine Sea or the war in Iran. This is purely training,” he added, responding to concerns that the presence of U.S. troops could draw the area into ongoing geopolitical tensions.

Anayron noted that soldiers in Northern Mindanao rarely receive this type of specialized training, which is typically conducted by U.S. forces in Luzon during the annual Balikatan exercises.

The 4th Infantry Division has previously hosted joint training with foreign troops. Last year, soldiers from the Australian Defence Force trained for a month with 4th Infantry Division troops in jungle warfare at the Kibarita Training Complex, a 46,000-hectare military reservation spanning the Bukidnon towns of Kalilangan, Talakag, and Pangantucan.