U.S. and Philippine soldiers discuss air-mission planning for the Salaknib exercise at Fort Magsaysay, Philippines, March 19, 2025. (Wyatt Moore/U.S. Army)
Thousands of U.S. and Philippine soldiers have begun the first phase of Salaknib, an annual land-defense exercise in the Philippines, according to officials from both countries.
The drills, which began Monday, involve about 5,000 troops — 3,000 from the Philippine army and 2,000 from U.S. Army Pacific — the state-run Philippine News Agency reported that day. Salaknib will run through April 11, with a second phase planned for May 15 to July 20.
U.S. Army officials did not immediately respond Tuesday to emailed questions about the exercise.
The training comes as Washington and its allies in the region prepare for potential conflict with Beijing over Taiwan and the South China Sea. Philippine and Chinese coast guard vessels have clashed multiple times over the past year in disputed waters.
During last year’s drills, the U.S. Army deployed the Typhoon missile system — designed to fire SM-6 and Tomahawk missiles — to the Philippines, where it has remained despite objections from Chinese officials, who have called it an offensive weapon.
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said in January that he would order the missile system returned to the U.S. only if China stops its coercive actions in the South China Sea.
In preparation for Salaknib, soldiers from the Hawaii-based 2nd Battalion, 11th Field Artillery Regiment were at Fort Magsaysay on Luzon, where they swapped maintenance tips with their Philippine counterparts, according to a March 17 Army news release.
“Training like this enhances our ability to operate as a cohesive team and strengthens the trust and partnership between our forces,” 1st Lt. Hwui Yoo, a battalion fire direction officer, said in the release.
Members of the Division Sustainment Brigade, 25th Infantry Division, also from Hawaii, were at Fort Magsaysay preparing a water purification system ahead of the drills, according to another March 17 Army release.
“The intent is to filter the local water source using U.S. Army equipment, making it safe for daily use as we train alongside our allies,” Sgt. Mario Lumpkin, a brigade water purification specialist, said in the release.
Following Salaknib, the U.S. and the Philippines will conduct Balikatan, an annual joint exercise involving 16,000 troops, from April 21 to May 9.
Officials have dubbed this year’s series of Salaknib and Balikatan exercises “SABAK 2025,” the Philippine News Agency reported.
“SABAK 2025 brings together the [Philippine army] and [U.S. Army Pacific] forces in a robust joint exercise across key locations in the Philippines,” Philippine army spokesman Col. Louie Dema-ala said during the opening ceremony at Fort Magsaysay.
The drills will focus on combined, joint and all-domain operations to strengthen warfighting and reaffirm the U.S.-Philippine commitment to safeguarding the country’s territorial integrity, Dema-ala said.
The exercise will include command-and-control training, large-scale operational maneuvers, force-on-force training, live-fire drills, and sustainment operations. They will also cover humanitarian assistance, information operations, and counterintelligence training, he said.
