US, Philippine, Australian armies conduct long-range maritime air assault

ITBAYAT, Philippines – U.S., Philippine, and Australian Army soldiers conducted a joint training mission that focused on long-range maritime air assault execution during Exercise Balikatan 2026 from April 23-25, 2026.

During the multi-day training event, Soldiers assigned to 2nd Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment worked alongside Philippine Army soldiers assigned to 54th Infantry “Magilas” Battalion, 5th Infantry Division and Australian Army soldiers assigned to 5th/7th Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment. The multinational contingent started the mission at Cagayan North International Airport in Lal-lo. Within mere hours they established defensive security positions along the perimeter of Itbayat Airport to protect any incoming air assets.

“During air assaults, it starts with posture on an airfield,” says U.S. Army 1st Lt. Grant Johnson, a platoon leader of 2nd Platoon, “Blackfoot” Company, 2nd Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment. Johnson emphasized physical fitness as a critical component of any air assault mission, noting his platoon began preparations for the austere humid environment months in advance.

According to Sgt. David Ouellette, a team leader assigned to "Blackfoot" Company, the U.S. air assault element trained alongside the Philippine Army soldiers slated to participate in the operation.

“We've done physical training and small unit training on the squad level,” says Ouellete. These efforts would provide the foundation for working together as a team during the mission.

Johnson explained that the three platoons, comprised of U.S. Soldiers, partners and allies, enabled a High Mobility Artillery Rocket System Rapid Infiltration mission, known as HIRAIN, successfully delivered via a C-130J Hercules aircraft.

Following the execution of the HIRAIN, ground-force commanders leveraged the multinational training element further. Service members established multiple friendly observation posts near the airfield to expand security coverage on the island.

On April 24, operating under the intense, mid-day heat, U.S. and Philippine Army soldiers maneuvered as a unified route reconnaissance element through the island’s dense foliage to identify optimal observation post locations. The tropical jungle enviornment of the northernmost Philippine islands provides a realistic training environment that the Filipino soldiers can attest to.

“[The Filipinos] are subject matter experts, and they share their encounters and their training, as well as the environment and how to tackle it,” said Ouellete.

According to Johnson, the partnership demonstrated during the long-range maritime air assault on Itbayat serves as a critical mechanism for projecting force and strategic strength. “The purpose of this operation is to [collaborate] with our Filipino partners,” says Johnson. “We've had that alliance for a long time.”

By executing a long-range maritime air assault, the training validated the capability to rapidly deploy personnel and supplies over expanses of water and intoaustere environments. Shortly after touchdown on the island, the combined U.S., Philippine and Australian Army forces secured their objective, faciliatating a successful joint HIRAIN operation.

Balikatan is a longstanding annual exercise between the Armed Forces of the Philippines and U.S. military that represents the strength of our alliance, improves our capable combined force, and demonstrates our commitment to regional peace and prosperity.