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The IAMD exercise is a comprehensive training event designed to enhance the ability of military forces to protect against threats from both the air and missiles. During the exercise, participants simulate real-world scenarios involving incoming aircraft, drones, and missile attacks, working together to detect, track, and respond to these threats. The exercise brings together various units—including radar operators, missile defense teams, and command centers—to practice coordination and decision-making using advanced technology and communication systems. Unlike smaller unmanned aerial vehicles used in previous exercises, this year’s IAMD exercise featured high-value drones that closely mimic the flight profiles and radar signatures of real-world threats. According to Philippine Air Force Maj. Richmon Jan Cayabyab, battery commander of Surface Air Missile Battery 960th, Air and Missile Defense Wing, these drones provided a substantial leap in training quality. "It’s helpful for us because we have a chance to track in virtual, live, and constructive environments in a way we can maximize our learning,” said Cayabyab. According to Cayabyab, PAF operators live-tracked a high-value aerial drone using the SPYDER system during Balikatan 2026. “Using live radar and simulated missiles, we get enormous training value without spending money on actual missiles," Cayabyab said. The integration of live, virtual, and constructive environments allowed forces to rehearse detection, tracking, and engagement procedures in a cost-effective manner. In the constructive environment, PAF operators could simulate missile launches and evaluate their tactics without incurring the expense of live munitions. U.S. Indo-Pacific Command J7 Pacific Multi-Domain Training and Experimentation Capability team coordinated closely with the U.S. Army Threat Systems Management Office and Program Management for Training Devices to bring replicated enemy unmanned aircraft systems to Balikatan 2026. By leveraging TSMO’s expertise in threat-representative target systems and PM TRADE’s technical support for integrating training devices, the J7 PMTEC team ensured the exercise featured realistic, maneuvering drone targets tailored to the operational needs of both U.S. and Philippine forces. This collaboration enabled high-value, scenario-driven training that significantly enhanced the realism and effectiveness of air defense operations during Balikatan 2026. According to IAMD exercise lead planner U.S. Marine Corps Master Sgt. David Sheridan, 3rd Littoral Anti-Air Battalion, 3rd Marine Littoral Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, the advanced aerial drones not only improved technical proficiency but also fostered greater collaboration between Japan, Philippine and U.S. air defense teams. “The relationships built during this year’s Balikatan exercise surpassed those of previous iterations,” said Sheridan. “Our coordination enabled a level of command and control and mission planning that we had not previously achieved. The trust established between our units and countries allowed us to operate with a degree of integration that was both deliberate and highly effective.” A key benefit of the high-speed Group 4 unmanned aerial systems is their ability to replicate realistic threat profiles. “We deliberately adjusted our training approach to reflect evolving threats, employing the target as either an incoming cruise missile or a one-way attack UAS,” said Sheridan. “The results demonstrated that our combined systems, Philippine, American, and Japanese, are capable of effectively neutralizing these threats.” Sheridan said the U.S. Tactical Air Control Element operated in direct coordination with Philippine Air Force SPYDER Air Defense System units, conducting track correlation, target assignment, and real time data sharing through voice communication to support engagement and decisions. “This level of integration validated our ability to assign targets across coalition partners and rely on one another to execute engagements with confidence,” said Sheridan. “Overall, we deliberately pushed the limits of flight speed and threat profiles. This was not simply multiple units conducting live fire operations in parallel. It was a fully integrated air defense system operating as a unified force, capable of countering low altitude threats from a near peer adversary. The strength of our relationships between American, Japanese, and Filipino forces has never been greater. We are one team. We are Balikatan.” Participating U.S. units included Marine Air Control Group 38, 3rd Littoral Anti-Air Battalion, and 12th Littoral Anti-Air Battalion, operating alongside U.S. Army elements from 1-51 and 6-52 Air Defense Artillery.
Balikatan is a Philippine-led longstanding annual exercise between the Armed Forces of the Philippines and U.S. military that represents the strength of our alliance, improves our capable combined force, and demonstrates a shared commitment to regional peace and prosperity.
The U.S. Indo-Pacific Command Mission Network, USINDOPACOM J7 Pacific Multi-Domain Training and Experimentation Capability, and joint interface control officers enabled this achievement. Military leaders and diplomats alike are hailing the COP as a significant step forward in multinational collaboration and operational effectiveness.
“The development of the COP has been an enormous additive to our exercise,” said Ambassador Alphonse La Porta, a career member of the Senior Foreign Service and former Ambassador to Mongolia. La Porta, political/military advisor for the BK26 exercise control group, said the importance of context and information flow for commanders cannot be overstated. "The challenge is to give the allies and partners enough information in terms of what's going on in this scenario to make it worthwhile, to support their participation,” said former Ambassador La Porta. “That’s a big challenge when you have multilevel classification exercises. To be able to have the COP, and to be able to understand the tools that go into and creating the COP, that’s terribly important." Those tools and the technical integration required to achieve this milestone were substantial and more than eight years in the making, according to Scott Senerius, USINDOPACOM J6 C4/cyber exercise branch chief and BK26 ECG HHQ J6 lead. “The progression of the multinational COP has been dependent on a constant change of participation in countries in BK and evolving participation that really exceeds the networks that we traditionally support,” said Senerius. This year marks the most challenging and complex Balikatan to date. More than 17,000 personnel from the United States, the Philippines, Australia, Canada, France, Japan, and New Zealand are participating. The increase in ally and like-minded partner nation participation represents a growing awareness of the importance of Philippine defense and maritime security in the region, according to Philippine Navy Cmdr. James Maligaya, Joint Simulation and Wargaming Center, Armed Forces Philippines Education and Training Command. Maligaya said the multinational BK26 training audience needed a COP that they could manipulate. “We now have a common platform,” said Maligaya. “For real-world application, we can’t just swivel and shift. IMN is a good way to start.” IMN provides a platform for approved coalition partners. “They can come in and play in the same sandbox,” said Senerius. “It includes files, chat rooms, and other features.” Developing the platform and building the network was only the beginning. Operationalizing the multi-classification, multi-lateral COP is an impressive team effort. Senerius works closely with joint interface control officers (JICOs), as well as with modeling and simulations personnel, foreign disclosure officers, and others to make sure data is tagged appropriately to make it through the associated networks and cross domain solutions that feed the BK26 COP. Senerius credits the JICO community for managing the COP during BK26. U.S. Marine Corps Cpt. Jacob Anderson, assigned to Pacific Air Forces, 613 Operations Center, is the BK26 JICO lead. He and his team ensure the COP not only supports live events, but also simulated and constructive training. “With a combination of the CPX (command post exercise) and FTX (field training exercise), there's a lot going on,” said Anderson. “We have live assets. We have constructive assets. And we have a lot of simulation supporting both events. My job is to ensure that it's making it out to the exercise audience, and that all the data displayed throughout the Philippines is not only correct for our U.S. COP, but for the multinational COP as well. That has been a huge focus point for this exercise.” “In today’s battle space seeing everything is more important than ever,” said Anderson. “When you have live fires, a lot of deconfliction comes into play. Whether it's air, ground or surface, you need to see everything out there. Our ability to integrate that with the COP, as well as data sharing, is extremely important. We know the ‘fight tonight’ construct is how we have got to fight. We don't plan anything in the exercise that we wouldn't plan to use in the real world.” The significance of the BK26 multi-lateral COP extends beyond the technical realm. By setting a new benchmark for secure, scalable, and inclusive information sharing, the multi-level, multinational COP is strengthening the foundation for future joint and combined operations in the Indo-Pacific. PMTEC ECG lead Abe Webb emphasized the COP’s operational impact. "The ability to tailor the COP to each nation’s security requirements, while still maintaining a unified view of the battlespace, is a game-changer,” said Webb. “It means we can share what we need to, when we need to, and with whom we need to—without compromising sensitive information or operational security. This flexibility allows us to synchronize our actions, respond faster to emerging threats, and build confidence in our ability to operate as a true coalition." The BK26 COP implementation demonstrates that with the right digital architecture, coordinated information sharing agreements, and a shared commitment to regional security, coalition partners can achieve secure, real-time information sharing across domains and classification levels, setting a new standard for multinational operations in the Indo-Pacific. According to former Ambassador La Porta, the BK26 COP is a tangible metric of success. “In terms of really proving the interoperability of our command and control to operate under duress or in times of stress, and how we coordinate with each other,” said former Ambassador La Porta. “We can't go to war without effective command and control…we have to make doggone sure that it works.” Balikatan is a longstanding annual exercise between the Armed Forces of the Philippines and U.S. military that represents the strength of our alliance, improves our capable combined force, and demonstrates our commitment to regional peace and prosperity.