The annual Balikatan military exercises have evolved beyond a purely bilateral drill and are now focused on preparing to help defend the Philippines amid rising regional tensions, according to United States Indo-Pacific Command chief Admiral Samuel Paparo.

Paparo cited increasing coercive activities and territorial disputes in the region as reasons behind the expanded scope of the annual exercises.

“That’s a direct expression of the dangers that we’re living in. We’ve seen in the last months coercive activities. We’ve seen the penetration of territorial waters. We’ve seen unilateral announcements of excessive claims. We see that backed up with force,” Paparo said during the closing ceremony of Balikatan 2026 at Camp Aguinaldo over the weekend.

“And I think we see signs all around us that we’re living in a dangerous environment,” he added.

Paparo said there are “neighbors with excessive claims and territorial disputes with every one of their neighbors, including the Republic of the Philippines.”

“I see signs abound that we’re living in a tense and dangerous environment with active coercion ongoing. And the Philippines, certainly Philippine fisherfolk, Philippine Coast Guard experience it every day,” he said.

Direct threat

He described these actions as a “direct threat” to the Philippines’ sovereignty, prosperity, and freedom.

This year’s exercise Balikatan showcased major missile capabilities from allied forces for the first time in the Philippines. 

Among them was the launch of a Tomahawk cruise missile using 

the US military’s Typhon medium-range capability (MRC) missile system in Leyte, Tacloban. 

The drills also featured the firing of two Type 88 surface-to-ship missiles by the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force in Ilocos Norte —the first time Japan fired such missiles overseas as part of a military exercise.

The missile launch drew criticism from China.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian accused Japan of abandoning its post-war defense posture and pursuing “remilitarization.”

“Japan once invaded and imposed colonial rule over the Philippines and other Southeast Asian countries, and thus shoulder grave historical responsibilities,” Lin said during a regular press conference on 6 May.

“As the world marks 80 years of the opening of the Tokyo Trials, not only has Japan, the aggressor, failed to deeply reflect on its historical crimes, it has even sent military forces overseas and fired offensive missiles under the pretext of security cooperation,” he added.

Lin claimed Japan had breached its “exclusively defense-oriented policy” and warned that the “emergence of neo-militarism in Japan” threatens regional peace and stability.

But Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. brushed aside China’s criticism, saying Beijing itself has been undermining regional stability through its actions in the West Philippine Sea and neighboring territories.

“Ang tanong ko, papaano?” Teodoro said when asked about China’s claim that Japan’s missile firing threatened regional peace.

“Number one, hindi ako bilib. Number two, wala silang pakialam dun. Anong pakialam nila? Pakialaman nila sarili nilang bakuran,” he told reporters on the sidelines of the Balikatan closing ceremony.

Teodoro accused China of intimidating not only the Philippines but also other countries in the region.

“Ano ba yung ginagawa nila? Yung panunupil nila sa West Philippine Sea at sa iba’t ibang mga lugar. Kahit Vietnam, ginaganon nila. Recently, yung Malaysia at Indonesia, ginaganon nila,” he said.

The defense chief maintained that the Philippines has every right to strengthen its national defense and improve interoperability with allies such as the United States, Japan, and Australia through joint military exercises.

ASEAN ties

Meanwhile, Armed Forces of the Philippines chief General Romeo Brawner Jr. said Southeast Asian nations continue to participate in regional security initiatives through bilateral and minilateral arrangements, particularly in humanitarian assistance and disaster response efforts.

For this year’s Balikatan, member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) served as observers.

“Right now, the participation of ASEAN is more bilateral in nature—Philippines with the ASEAN neighbor,” Brawner said.

“We are not excluding anyone from the Balikatan Exercise. We welcome as many countries as possible,” he added.

Brawner said the Philippines remains open to broader ASEAN participation in future Balikatan exercises.