The United States will continue building on its defense momentum in the Indo-Pacific throughout 2026, with an anticipated expansion of bilateral and multilateral exercises. Given long-standing security priorities, analysts say the U.S. military will likely broaden interoperability initiatives, and command and control integration, including through exercises with treaty allies and continued trilateral cooperation with Japan and the Republic of Korea (ROK).
The Philippines and the U.S. have approved more than 500 joint military activities for the coming year, reported the Philippine News Agency. The engagements range from expert exchanges to large-scale exercises to deepen cooperation. Balikatan 2026, for example, will emphasize logistics, rapid deployment and emerging domains such as cyber and space.
U.S. leaders have highlighted the growing role of space capabilities and allied integration, underscoring efforts to build and sustain the capabilities with partners.
“Our primary focus is to protect the joint force from space-enabled attack by countering adversary kill-webs and ensuring the freedom of action for U.S. and allied forces,” U.S. Space Force Maj. Gen. Anthony Mastalir, director of global space operations, said in 2025.
The U.S. National Defense Authorization Act for 2026 includes provisions demonstrating a commitment to Indo-Pacific alliances and partnerships. A required strategy to strengthen defense engagement aims to broaden bilateral into multilateral arrangements, improve command and control structures, expand regional access agreements, increase information sharing, and bolster multilateral exercises, according to the American Enterprise Institute think tank.
Another provision establishes a Taiwan-U.S. program to codevelop and coproduce uncrewed systems and counter-drone capabilities. The defense budget also calls for integrated training between the Taiwan and U.S. coast guards.
Upcoming defense activities will sustain the collaborative security architecture shaped in 2025 by high-profile exercises, reinforced alliances and integrated training.
In addition to the Philippine- and U.S.-hosted Balikatan 2025, which highlighted the longtime allies’ deepening relationship, defense engagements included:
- The second Association of Southeast Asian Nations-U.S. Maritime Exercise in Indonesia, demonstrating interoperability and collective commitment to maritime partnerships, security and stability.
- Freedom Edge, a Japan-ROK-U.S. exercise that integrated air, maritime and cyber elements with special operations capabilities to enhance all-domain competence. The combined forces executed ballistic missile defense; defensive counter-air operations; anti-surface warfare; maritime interdiction; board, search and seizure tactics; counter-piracy; medical evacuation; and at-sea replenishment.
- Pacific Griffin, a Singapore-U.S. exercise reinforcing the enduring partnership between the nations’ navies with maritime interdiction, advanced command and control, and anti-submarine and anti-air warfare drills.
- Air operations featuring Japanese fighter jets and U.S. strategic bombers to reinforce deterrence near Japan’s airspace with a demonstration of readiness in response to evolving regional security dynamics.