The 2023 Balikatan Exercises of the Philippines and the United States troops officially concluded on Friday, April 28.
A closing ceremony was held at the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) General Headquarters in Quezon City, with the Department of National Defense (DND) officer-in-charge Carlito Galvez as the guest of honor and speaker.
Also present at the event is U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines MaryKay Carlson, US Indo-Pacific Command Chief Admiral John Aquilino, AFP Chief of Staff Gen. Andres Centino, and AFP Balikatan Exercise Director Maj. Gen. Marvin Licudine.
The 38th Balikatan, considered the largest military exercise, commenced last April 11.
In the span of three weeks, 17,600 Filipino and US soldiers undergone training on maritime security, amphibious operations, live-fire training, cyber defense, counterterrorism, humanitarian assistance, and disaster relief preparedness.
President Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr. himself witnessed the joint live-fire sea drills of the Philippine and US last Wednesday, April 26.
Meanwhile, after the Balikatan 2023, the Philippine Navy announced that it will be taking part in the first-ever ASEAN-India Maritime Exercise 2023 (AIME 2023) from May 2 to May 8 in Singapore.
