Six-Country Defense Exercise Begins in Philippines as China Watches

Six countries, including the U.S. and the Philippines, have launched joint military exercises alongside South Korea and Japan shortly after China’s military drills surrounding Taiwan. The annual KAMANDAG Exercise, led by the U.S. and the Philippines, began the same day and will run for ten days in northern Luzon, Philippines. This multinational training initiative, first held in 2017, aims to strengthen the operational capabilities of U.S. and Philippine Marines working alongside allied nations.

This year’s exercise includes over 1,000 personnel from the U.S. and the Philippines, with additional forces from South Korea, Japan, Australia, and the United Kingdom. The drills will concentrate on defending Luzon Island, which lies about 500 miles from Taiwan, and will feature live-fire drills along Luzon’s northern coastline. Operations are also scheduled on smaller islands between Luzon and Taiwan and near contested areas in the South China Sea, including Palawan Island.

The Philippine military emphasized that the exercise is unrelated to tensions surrounding Taiwan, explaining, “This exercise is focused on defending our territory, not participating in Taiwan combat.” These drills come shortly after China conducted large-scale military exercises involving its army, navy, air force, and rocket forces around Taiwan in response to President Lai Ching-te’s National Day speech, where she discussed the “One Country, Two Systems” policy.

Just before KAMANDAG, the U.S., Philippines, Japan, Australia, Canada, and France wrapped up nine days of naval exercises in the northern waters of Luzon, stressing the region’s growing importance amid escalating tensions.