The 39th iteration of the "Balikatan" (shoulder-to-shoulder) Exercise between the Philippines and United States militaries will be even "bigger" than last year, according to the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).

AFP spokesperson Col. Francel Margareth Padilla said this year's Balikatan will be held sometime in April.

"The difference now and last year's Balikatan is we are going to have more exercises in key positions all over the country. Aside from quantity, we will heavily lean on towards quality trainings," Padilla said on Tuesday, Jan. 30.

"We are adding some more challenges, some more complexity towards the exercise," she added.

The AFP and US Armed Forces held the biggest Balikatan yet in 2023 when a total of 17,600 military personnel participated in the annual war games.

The AFP and US Armed Forces are still on the planning stage of the upcoming war games and they have yet to determine the number of participating troops.

But the two countries' militaries will be doing exercises in the non-physical domain such as cyberspace and information warfare this year, as well as kinetic activities and littoral airspace and landspace drills.

The location of the drills are yet to be finalized although among those reportedly being considered are certain military training areas facing Taiwan in Northern Luzon.

Over the weekend, Northern Luzon Command (NOLCOM) commander Lt. Gen. Fernyl Buca inspected two farthest naval detachments in Basco and Mavulis Island in Batanes province along with Balikatan planners.

The Luzon strait which includes the Balintang and Bashi Channels within the NOLCOM's Joint Operational Area is an important factor in maneuvering forces for strategic advantage, and a chokepoint for naval and air traffic. 

"It is the mandate of the NOLCOM AFP to protect and serve the nation’s interests. The northernmost defense outpost plays a crucial role in our defense strategy and that we must continue investing to ensure its preparedness and capabilities," Buca said.