The Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) and Australia will be an active participant in next year's Salaknib exercise for the first time, a Philippine Army official announced on Tuesday.

"From being observers from 2025 iteration of exercise Salaknib, the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force and Australian Army will actively take part in the 2026 iteration of Salaknib this reflect a broader multilateral defense cooperation and partnership in pursuit for the shared goal of maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific region," Col. Louie Dema-ala told reporters in Camp Aguinaldo.

He said that it is the first time JGSDF will join the exercise as an active participant as the Reciprocal Assess Agreement (RAA) between Japan and the Philippine will enter into force starting next month.

"Based on the initial planning conference, this will be the first activity that will involve Japan as an active participant as well as Australia after the RAA," he said.

Dema-ala said the initial planning conference for 2026 Salaknib drill was held from August 11 to 15, 2025.

"The PA planners and their US Army Pacific, Australian Army and JGSDF counterparts concluded the weeklong initial planning conference for next year's iteration of Salaknib exercises," he said.

"The annual Salaknib deepens the interoperability among the Philippine Army and US Army Pacific and other core members while simultaneously enforcing the Philippine Army's capacity to defend the country against external threats," he added.

Dema-ala did not give further details about next year's plan for the Salaknib exercise.

But he said that next year's exercise will focus on "full spectrum, from personnel, sustainment, intelligence and particularly land component command and Control Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition, and Reconnaissance (C4ISTAR) and the rest."

Dema-ala said the 2026 Salaknib exercise will be conducted in the 1st and 2nd quarter of next year before the Balikatan exercises. Robina Asido/DMS