Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief General Romeo Brawner Jr. on Monday said Exercise Balikatan serve sas a critical measure of how deeply aligned allied forces are in responding to evolving regional security challenges.

Brawner  speaking at the opening of Exercise Balikatan 41-2026 at the Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City, emphasized that the annual drills go beyond routine military training. 

He highlighted the growing integration and cohesion among participating forces.

“We gather today not simply to begin another exercise, but to reaffirm something far more enduring. The strength of an alliance, the clarity of a shared purpose, and the responsibility that we carry together in securing our region,” Brawner said.

Now in its 41st iteration, Exercise Balikatan has evolved from a bilateral training activity between the Philippines and the United States into a full-scale multinational exercise. 

This year, more than 17,000 troops from partner nations, including Australia, Japan, Canada, France, and New Zealand, and, are taking part.

Brawner underscored that the scale of participation reflects not just broader cooperation, but deeper operational integration.

“Balikatan 41-26 reflects not only the scale of our cooperation, but also the depth of our operational alignment,” he said, noting that participating forces are working toward systems that can “think, move, and respond as one.”

The AFP chief highlighted key components of the drills, including integrated air and missile defense, maritime security operations, live-fire exercises, and joint multinational readiness training. 

These, he said, are designed to build what modern defense requires: “information advantage, systems overmatch, and force resiliency.”

The exercises will be conducted across various parts of the country, from Northern Luzon to Palawan, and from the Visayas to Mindanao, testing military readiness under realistic conditions across multiple domains.

Beyond combat readiness, Brawner stressed that Balikatan also focuses on humanitarian and civic efforts, including building schools, supporting healthcare, and strengthening disaster preparedness in local communities.

“Security is not measured only in deterrence; it is also measured in resilience, and resilience begins with our people,” he said.

Brawner added that the presence of international partners and observers sends a strong message about collective security and shared responsibility in maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific.

“Balikatan is readiness made real, cooperation put into action, and peace preserved through our strength,” he said.

The AFP chief formally declared the exercises open, reaffirming the commitment of allied nations to “stand together, act together, and, when necessary, defend together.”