The U.S. And Philippines will expand their annual Balikatan military exercises this year to include forces from Japan, France, and Canada, officials confirmed, marking the first time these nations will participate alongside the two treaty allies in the drills.
The decision follows the signing of visiting forces agreements between Manila and each of the three countries, which allow for the temporary deployment of foreign military personnel on Philippine territory for training and humanitarian missions. Japan’s agreement was ratified in early 2023, France’s in late 2023, and Canada’s was finalized in March 2024.
Balikatan, which means “shoulder-to-shoulder” in Tagalog, has historically been a bilateral exercise focused on interoperability between U.S. And Philippine forces. This year’s iteration will incorporate joint planning and field training components involving personnel from the Japan Self-Defense Forces, French Armed Forces, and Canadian Armed Forces, according to a statement from the Philippine Department of National Defense.
The expansion reflects growing coordination among Indo-Pacific partners amid heightened regional tensions, particularly in the South China Sea and Taiwan Strait. Philippine defense officials have emphasized that the drills remain defensive in nature and are not directed at any specific country, though analysts note the increased participation aligns with broader efforts to strengthen multilateral capacity in response to coercive maritime activities.
French and Canadian contingents are expected to contribute maritime patrol and logistics units, while Japanese forces will likely engage in amphibious and disaster relief scenarios, building on prior trilateral exercises conducted with the U.S. And Philippines in 2023. The exact scale and timing of their involvement have not been disclosed, but officials said all participating nations will operate under a unified command structure during the exercise’s field phase.
The Philippine military has not yet released a public schedule for Balikatan 2024, though past iterations have typically occurred in April and May. Preparatory meetings between the participating nations’ defense staffs are underway in Manila and Washington, D.C., with a final coordination conference scheduled for next week at Camp Aguinaldo.
When asked whether the inclusion of non-treaty allies would affect the exercise’s legal framework under the Philippines’ Constitution, which restricts foreign troop presence without Senate concurrence, a defense spokesperson stated that all activities would comply with existing visiting forces agreements and would not require additional legislative approval.
The U.S. Indo-Pacific Command has not issued a public comment on the expanded participant list, referring inquiries to the Philippine-led exercise steering committee. No official objection has been raised by any claimant state in the South China Sea, though Beijing has previously criticized similar multilateral drills as destabilizing.
The next formal step in the exercise cycle is the opening ceremony, which remains scheduled for early April at a location to be announced by the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
