Hanoi, April 7 -- The Philippines and its allies on April 6 officially launched Phase 1 of Exercise Salaknib 2026 at Fort Magsaysay in Palayan city, Nueva Ecija province, with the participation of more than 7,000 troops from the Philippines, the US, Japan and Australia.

In a statement, Maj. Gen. Efren Morados, Vice Commander of the Philippine Army, underscored the importance of strengthening alliances and creating opportunities for soldiers to learn from one another. He said the exercise is guided by clear strategic objectives to enhance combined arms operations, improve multi-domain interoperability, and reinforce a credible and sustainable regional security architecture.

Meanwhile, Maj. Gen. James Bartholomees, Commanding General of t...