Exercise Salaknib 2026 Phase 1: Japan and Australia Join as Full Participants for First Time in 'Largest-Ever' Land Forces Drill

Exercise Salaknib 2026 Phase 1 — the annual US-Philippines bilateral land forces exercise — is ongoing at Fort Magsaysay and Camp Tecson (April 6–17) with more than 7,000 troops from the United States, Philippines, Japan, and Australia, making it the largest iteration in the exercise's history. Japan Ground Self-Defense Force and Australian Army forces are participating as full-fledged partners for the first time (previously as observers), reflecting the rapid deepening of multilateral ground force interoperability in the Indo-Pacific ahead of Balikatan 2026 (April 20–May 8). Exercises include jungle warfare, aviation operations, live-fire anti-armor training using Carl Gustaf recoilless rifles, electronic warfare, combined arms maneuvers, and a 17-day Jungle Operations Training Course at Camp Tecson. The exercise includes electronic warfare training that reflects lessons from Ukraine and the Iran-Israel conflict, emphasizing electromagnetic spectrum dominance. US Army Pacific described Salaknib 2026 as demonstrating 'how like-minded democracies are working together to address shared security challenges in the region.' Phase 2 follows in May and June 2026 after Balikatan 2026 concludes.