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Michael Punongbayan - The Philippine Star
May 10, 2025 | 12:00am
Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro, US Ambassador MaryKay Carlson and Armed Forces of the Philippines chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. officially close Balikatan 40-2025 yesterday, with the ceremonial furling of the Balikatan flag at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City.
Walter Bollozos
MANILA, Philippines — The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the United States military jointly declared this year’s Balikatan exercises a success yesterday, with both forces and other allied nations strengthening interoperability and trust in each other through combined training and joint activities held in various parts of the country.
“Together with the AFP, we put the D in deterrence, defense and ‘don’t mess with us,’ ” Lt. Gen. Michael Cederholm, commanding general of the Marine Expeditionary Force and commander of the US Joint Task Force for Balikatan, said in his closing remarks.
Cederholm noted how Philippine and US forces trained together across all domains and alongside Australia, Japan and 18 observer nations during this year’s 40th iteration of the Balikatan.
“Together, we executed complex training across the archipelago. Together, we are building readiness for today and resilience for tomorrow. From live fire drills to humanitarian missions, from maritime security in Palawan and Northern Luzon to sea denial in the Luzon Straits with the deployment of NMESIS to Bataan, we advanced our capability to deter, respond and prevail,” he declared.
AFP chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. said Balikatan 2025 showcased “exemplary demonstrations of joint capabilities ranging from live fire operations and cyber defense to maritime security activities and humanitarian assistance efforts.”
“Beyond the technical achievements, however, the most valuable outcome has been the enhanced mutual trust, deeper understanding and renewed commitment to shared security goals,” he stressed.
Brawner said next year’s Balikatan is expected to be even bigger, with Japan already increasing their number of participants this year and the military looking forward to having more participants from Australia and Japan “because we already have agreements with them.” — Emmanuel Tupas, Ghio Ong
