Thinking About China
Opinion

The Philippines: The Mental Part of National Defense

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The Philippines: The Mental Part of National Defense
(Left to right) Philippine exercise director Major General Francisco Lorenzo Jr., Philippine military Chief General Romeo Brawner, U.S. Charge d' Affaires Ad interim Y. Robert Ewing, Philippine Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations J3 Major General Elmer Suderio, and U.S. Commanding General I Marine Expeditionary Force Lieutenant General Christian Wortman pose during the opening ceremonies of the joint military exercise dubbed "Balikatan" or "Shoulder to Shoulder" at Camp Aguinaldo military headquarters in Quezon city, Philippines, on April 20, 2026. Aaron Favila/AP Photo
Grant Newsham
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Commentary

The Balikatan military exercise, held between April 20 and May 8 in the Philippines, was a good one. Troops from the Philippines, United States, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and France got real combat training—and a lot of it.

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Grant Newsham
Grant Newsham
Author
Grant Newsham is a retired U.S. Marine officer and a former U.S. diplomat and business executive with many years in the Asia/Pacific region. He is a senior fellow with the Japan Forum for Strategic Studies (Tokyo) and Center for Security Policy and the Yorktown Institute in Washington, D.C. He is the author of the best selling book “When China Attacks: A Warning to America.”