The Philippines and the United States have approved joint military activities for the coming year as they mark the 75th anniversary of their Mutual Defense Treaty.
The approval of the new defense activities followed a Balikatan exercise that expanded bilateral training into a multinational rehearsal for the defense of the country.
General Antonio Nafarrete, chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), and Admiral Samuel Paparo Jr., commander of the United States Pacific Command (INDOPACOM), approved the activities during the annual Mutual Defense Board-Security Engagement Board meeting at Camp Aguinaldo on August 7.
The two military chiefs signed an 8-Star memo and the 2027 MDB-SEB Plan of Activities, which set the guidance, engagements and cooperative programs between the two armed forces.
The AFP said the meeting focused on improving joint training and exercises, developing defense capabilities, strengthening maritime security cooperation and expanding work in other areas of shared strategic interest.
Nafarrete and Paparo also stressed the need for continued coordination in responding to changing regional security challenges and improving the ability of Philippine and U.S. forces to work together.
The approved engagements range from large-scale exercises to exchanges between subject-matter experts. They are also intended to improve readiness for humanitarian assistance and disaster response.
The meeting followed Balikatan 2026, described by the U.S. military as the largest and most expansive staging of the annual Philippines-U.S. exercise.
Held from April 20 to May 8, the 19-day exercise involved about 17,000 troops from the Philippines, the United States and partner countries Australia, Japan, Canada, France and New Zealand.
Balikatan 2026 marked what the U.S. military described as a shift from a bilateral exercise to a full-scale multinational mission rehearsal for the defense of the Philippines.
During the MDB-SEB meeting, Nafarrete and Paparo reaffirmed the defense partnership between the Philippines and the United States amid heightened regional tensions.
The AFP said both sides also renewed their commitment to maintaining freedom of navigation and promoting peace, security and stability in the Indo-Pacific region.
The two countries are marking the 75th anniversary of the Mutual Defense Treaty, which they signed in 1951.
The Mutual Defense Board was established in 1958, while the Security Engagement Board was created in 2006. Together, they guide defense and security cooperation between the Philippine and U.S. militaries under the treaty.
The partnership has produced hundreds of bilateral activities each year, according to the U.S. military.
The AFP said the MDB-SEB remains an important mechanism for advancing the mutual defense and security interests of the Philippines and the United States.
