Philippines,United States scale up trainings and exercises in 2027

The Philippines and the United States have agreed to scale up trainings and exercises next year amid heightened regional tensions, the US Indo-Pacific Command said in a statement.

Adm. Samuel J. Paparo and Gen. Antonio G. Nafarrete co-chaired the annual Mutual Defense Board-Security Engagement Board on Friday, August 7, at Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City. Photo from US Pacific Command.

Manuel Mogato | August 10, 2026

MANILA — The Philippines and the United States have agreed to scale up trainings and exercises next year amid heightened regional tensions, the US Indo-Pacific Command said in a statement.

US Indo-Pacific Command chief Admiral Samuel Paparo signed a military-to-military agreement, the 8-star memorandum, with Armed Forces of the Philippines chief of staff, General Antonio Nafarrete, at the annual Mutual Defense Board (MDB)-Security Engagement Board (SEB) meeting in Manila.

During the meeting, the two sides approved joint engagements for the upcoming year, ranging from large-scale exercises to subject-matter-expert exchanges, continuing a partnership that has produced hundreds of bilateral activities annually in recent years. (Also read: What’s the reason behind US expansion of military engagements in the Philippines?)

“These engagements are designed to sustain interaction between the two militaries and enhance operational readiness across a range of missions, including maritime security, humanitarian assistance and disaster response,” according to the Indo-Pacific Command statement. (Also read: Reviving SEATO or building an Asian NATO?)

“The U.S. Pacific Command is committed to enhancing stability in the Indo-Pacific region by promoting security cooperation, encouraging peaceful development, responding to contingencies, deterring aggression and, when necessary, prevailing in conflict.”

The Philippines and the United States marked this month the 75th anniversary of the Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT), one of the oldest security alliances of the United States with its former colony in this part of the world.

The Mutual Defense Board was established in 1958 and the Security Engagement Board in 2006. Together, they form the framework that directs and enables defense and security cooperation between the U.S. and Philippine militaries under the Mutual Defense Treaty.

The MDB-SEB meeting at Camp Aguinaldo followed the largest and most expansive iteration of Exercise Balikatan, the annual U.S.-Philippine military drills in April.

The 19-day joint exercise brought together roughly 17,000 troops from the Philippines, the United States, and multinational partners including Australia, Japan, Canada, France, and New Zealand marking a strategic evolution from a bilateral exercise to a full-scale, multinational mission rehearsal for the defense of the Philippines.

Last year, the MDB-SEB approved more than 500 activities for this year, including large-scale drills, such as Balikatan, Salaknib, Kamandag, Cope Thunder, and maritime cooperative activities. (Also read: US Senate bid to tie PH, Taiwan military aid signals bigger role for AFPUS Senate bid to tie PH, Taiwan military aid signals bigger role for AFP)

Military sources said the two allies would keep the same number of activities but would intensify drills with increased number of troops and equipment, testing war-time scenarios and humanitarian and disaster cooperation.

As the two military leaders met, senior Pentagon officials led by Under Secretary of War for Policy Elbridge Colby and Assistant Secretary of War John Noh visited the Philippines to hold talks with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr and defense officials.

They will also travel to Indonesia, Thailand and Cambodia.

The two security officials aimed to advance Washington’s strong bilateral relationships in the region.

“This trip reaffirms the Department’s commitment to build a durable peace in the region through strength,” a Pentagon readout said.