The US kicked off its largest annual military drills alongside the Philippines on Monday, simulating a full-on war with China.
A total of 17,000 troops from 20 countries participated in the drills, dubbed Balikatan 2025, including 9,000 American soldiers and 5,000 Filipino servicemen. US Marine Corps Forces Pacific commander Lt. Gen. James Glynn said this year’s drills “will showcase a full battle test, the purposeful integration of real world security situations relevant to the region with live, virtual and constructive training opportunities that will give the Philippines and the US a collective opportunity to demonstrate capabilities across all domains, across all services and all forces.”
A statement from the Philippine military likewise said that the exercises would simulate a “full-scale battle scenario.”
Many nations sent observers to the Philippines for the drills. For the first time, Japanese soldiers were full participants in the war games.
General Romeo Brawner, chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, noted that Balikatan would take place in the northern Philippines, near the South China Sea and Taiwan. “Across the vibrant expanse of Luzon, Palawan, the Visayas and Mindanao, we will assess our readiness in all domains,” he said.
The South China Sea and Taiwan are flashpoints in a potential conflict between the US and China, which sees the island as part of its own sovereign territory.
A press release from the US Navy explained that the war games were proof that Washington would honor its defense treaty with Manila. Balikatan is a “testament to the ironclad alliance and enduring friendship between the Philippines and the United States,” it said.
Chinese and Philippine vessels have collided around disputed rocks and reefs in the South China Sea on several occasions in recent years. While the incidents have not led to direct hostilities, Washington often restates its pledge to go to war on Manila’s behalf as a warning to Beijing not to attack the Philippines.
Along with additional participants in the drills, Balikatan 2025 will feature integrated air and missile defense. This includes one of the first live-fire tests of the Marine Air Defense Integrated System (MADIS), a short-range anti-drone platform.
During Balikatan 2024, the US deployed the Typhon launcher – a covert system that is concealed in a 40-foot shipping container and fires Tomahawk and SM-6 missiles – to the Philippines. In a major provocation to Beijing, Washington kept the system in the country’s north, where it was capable of striking Taiwan or even mainland China. A Typhon launcher will be deployed again for this year’s Balikatan.
