25th Infantry Division Runs UAS Reconnaissance in Philippines During Salaknib 2026

U.S. Army 1st Lt. James Wallace and Sgt. Johnathan Crutchman, assigned to the Multi-Purpose Company, 2nd Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Mobile Brigade, 25th Infantry Division, reviewed live feeds from an unmanned aerial system during a reconnaissance operation at Fort Magsaysay, Nueva Ecija, Philippines, on May 13, 2026.

The training falls under the Joint Pacific Multinational Readiness Center Exportable Exercise within Exercise Salaknib 2026. It integrates U.S., Philippine, and partner-nation forces in realistic scenarios to enhance interoperability, refine multi-domain tactics, and strengthen regional readiness across the Indo-Pacific.

The 25th Infantry Division provides the core U.S. ground component for these UAS-enabled reconnaissance missions.

The exercise shifts training from continental U.S. sites to forward locations in the Philippines, allowing forces to rehearse tactical UAS employment in terrain and conditions matching potential operational environments. JPMRC-X now delivers full-spectrum multi-domain scenarios on allied territory rather than relying solely on stateside rotation centers.

Philippine and U.S. units must now incorporate the refined UAS reconnaissance tactics into future bilateral exercises and contingency plans. The interoperability gains trigger updates to combined standard operating procedures between the 25th Infantry Division and Philippine army counterparts, with the next validation cycle already scheduled under the Salaknib series.

Downstream, the lessons feed directly into broader Indo-Pacific Command force posture adjustments and multinational readiness benchmarks tracked by Pacific partners.

This iteration continues an unbroken series of Salaknib exercises that have expanded from bilateral command-post drills to full live, multi-domain field training at Philippine installations. The CENTCOM daily release shows the May 13 UAS operation as one of several JPMRC-X events conducted in 2026 to maintain persistent combined training momentum in the region.

Primary sources: U.S. Department of Defense