The Philippine Army on Tuesday announced that the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) and the Australian Defence Force (ADF) will join the 2026 iteration of Exercise Salaknib, marking their first full participation.
Army spokesperson Col. Louie Dema-ala said planners from the Japanese, Australian, and United States armies recently concluded their conference for the upcoming drills.
“This reflects a broader multilateral defense partnership in pursuit of the shared goal of maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific region,” Dema-ala said in a Camp Aguinaldo briefing.
He added that Salaknib enhances interoperability among the Philippines, the United States, and other allied nations, while strengthening the Army’s capacity to defend the country against external threats.
Japan and Australia served only as observers in last year’s exercise. For Japan, it marks the country’s first involvement as an active participant following the signing of the Reciprocal Access Agreement (RAA) with the Philippines.
Asked if Japan would deploy military equipment in 2026, Dema-ala said in a mix of English and Filipino: “As of now, that has not been discussed. And what we’re doing right now is the activities, what activities…will be conducted during the Salaknib 2026.”
