U.S. and Philippine Forces Conduct Joint Live-Fire Drills During Annual Balikatan Exercise

U.S. Army's 25th Infantry Division participated in the annual Balikatan military exercise in the Philippines on May 5, 2026. Soldiers conducted counter-landing live-fire training at La Paz Sand Dunes in Laoag, a site less than 400 miles from the southern tip of Taiwan.

A camouflage-painted unmanned vessel advanced through the South China Sea as part of the drills. Two rockets launched from HIMARS launchers hidden in the sand dunes during the exercise. The division’s artillery battalion operated from a small tactical operations center out of sight of enemy forces.

Data from a Stalker long-range reconnaissance drone, multiple short- and medium-range loitering aerial drones, and unmanned surface vessels coordinated fires from new HIMARS, one-way attack drones, 105-millimeter artillery, and additional systems. Maj. Gen.

S. ” He stated that the 25th ID synchronizes sensing through fires in a coordinated manner against multiple adversaries from brigade to individual foxhole level. “The synchronization is not real until proven with live munitions,” Bartholomees said.

U.S. prevails in the Pacific under Adm. Samuel Paparo’s vision, according to Bartholomees. Adm. Samuel Paparo, leader of Indo-Pacific Command, told the Senate Armed Services Committee last month that the strategy is to deny China the ability to achieve its objectives through military aggression while strengthening alliances.

He said credible, prompt and sustained combat power visible across the Indo-Pacific will deter acts of military aggression. Apache helicopters, Navy assets, and Air Force assets hunted robotic boats during the training. Col.

Daniel Von Benken, commander of 25th Infantry Division Artillery, said the Army must compete and win in both land and maritime environments in the Pacific theater. He described “maritime deep battle” as determining how Army echelons connect with Navy, Marines, and partner forces. Drones in orange and neon green built in-house by the unit’s Lightning Lab added to the exercise.

Maj. Gen. James Bartholomees called the Army absolutely essential to the joint force in the Pacific. The 25th Infantry Division was activated three months before Pearl Harbor was attacked in 1941. Many of the weapons and drones used this year were new to the division since last year’s Balikatan, Col.

The focus remains balancing modernization with core functions of artillery, infantry, and combined arms, he said. Jennifer Hlad, Managing Editor of Defense One, reported from the Philippines on the exercise.