CLARK FREEPORT, Pampanga – The Philippines and the United States launched Balikatan 2025 on April 21, marking their largest joint military exercise to date with 14,000 troops participating. The drills, running until May 9, include live-fire exercises, amphibious landings, and the deployment of advanced missile systems like the U.S. NMESIS and HIMARS, and the Philippine Navy’s Spike NLOS and C-Star.
This year also features the debut of the U.S. Marine Corps’ Littoral Rotational Force-Luzon. While officials stress the exercises aren’t aimed at any country, tensions remain high in the South China Sea.
