The Philippines and the United States have opened the Marine Air Support Activity 2025 (MASA 25) joint drills to be hold across several parts of the country.
MASA 25 is a two-week bilateral exercise, conducted under the Mutual Defense Board–Security Engagement Board (MDB-SEB) framework which will be staged in multiple locations including the provinces of Ilocos Norte, Zambales, Cavite, and Palawan, as well as Taguig City.
It aims to strengthen interoperability and air-to-ground operation skills of the Marine forces of both countries.
“This year’s MASA is specifically designed to enhance interoperability and air-to-ground operational skills, and strengthen coordination, with a primary focus on the use of aviation assets,” the Philippine Marine Corps (PMC) said.
The exercise will focus on the deployment of aviation assets and feature key activities such as coastal defense and maritime strike simulations, military free fall operations, helicopter emergency training, and subject matter expert exchanges.
Participants include members of the PMC and Marine Reservists, along with personnel from the Naval Air Wing, the Philippine Air Force, and the Philippine Coast Guard, working alongside their counterparts from the US Marine Corps.
Col. Armando Custodio, superintendent of the Marine Corps Force Development Center, led the opening ceremony as keynote speaker, joined by Col. Robb McDonald, commanding officer of the Marine Rotational Force–Southeast Asia, I Marine Expeditionary Force.
In his remarks, Custodio underscored that MASA 25 is not only a training exercise but also a reaffirmation of the long-standing defense partnership between the Philippines and the United States.
“It is about building the foundation for true interoperability, the ability of our forces to operate seamlessly as one cohesive unit in complex and dynamic environments,” Custodio said. “ Through MASA 25, we reaffirm a decades-long alliance founded on trust, mutual respect, and a shared strategic vision, a vision of a secured, free, resilient, and open Indo-Pacific .”
The annual exercise seeks to sustain the readiness and effectiveness of both militaries by integrating emerging technologies, advanced platforms, and modern tactics into joint operations.
