Camille Naredo

People holding Japanese flags wait for the emperor's traditional New Year's greetings at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo on January 2, 2025. Rodrigo Reyes Marin, AFP/File

People holding Japanese flags wait for the emperor's traditional New Year's greetings at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo on January 2, 2025. (Photo by Rodrigo Reyes Marin / POOL / AFP)

Article (news)

JAPAN

Bianca Dava

ABS-CBN News

MANILA -- The upcoming Salaknib exercises will mark a milestone as around 300 troops from the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) participate for the first time, expanding what has traditionally been a bilateral training between the Philippine Army and the United States Army Pacific (USARPAC).Lt. Gen. Antonio Nafarrete, commanding general of the Philippine Army, said Salaknib remains primarily a US-Philippines bilateral exercise, but this year&#x27;s iteration will include Japanese forces joining key training activities.The exercises will focus on joint combined arms training, humanitarian assistance and disaster response (HADR), capacity-building programs, and subject matter expert exchanges (SMEEs).&quot;It&#x27;s more on conducting joint combined training exercises. It is to become interoperable with them, and then expert exchanges—their expertise on their capacities, and our expertise also,&quot; Nafarrete told reporters in a press briefing at the Army Headquarters in Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City on Monday.&quot;Also, capacity building programs, including HADR operations because they know that we are always being visited by typhoons. They are willing to provide capabilities on HADR, so we need training exercises on HADR,&quot; he added.Salaknib will be conducted in two phases: the first phase scheduled from April to May and the second phase to be held after the annual Balikatan exercises in June.This year&#x27;s Salaknib is expected to involve around 4,000 to 5,000 troops from the Philippines, the United States, Japan, and Australia.Training activities will primarily take place in Northern Luzon, particularly at Fort Magsaysay.Nafarrete underscored the importance of Japan&#x27;s participation in the exercise.&quot;It is more on knowing our interoperability with the Japanese Army [JGSDF]. This is the first time. Knowing your friend,&quot; he said.

The upcoming Salaknib exercises will mark a milestone as around 300 troops from the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) participate for the first time.

The upcoming Salaknib exercises will mark a milestone as around 300 troops from the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) participate for the first time.

Japan to join PH-US Salaknib exercise for first time; 300 troops to participate

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Japan to join PH-US Salaknib exercise for first time; 300 troops to participate

Bianca Dava,

ABS-CBN News

Published February 16, 2026 03:08 PM PHT

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Philippine Army

Japan

Japan Ground Self-Defense Force

Salaknib

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