Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro lauded the participants from the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the United States armed forces as the Balikatan 2024 exercises ended Friday.

Teodoro said President Ferdinand Marcos Jr '' looks forward to next year's exercise, which will be I believe the full battle simulation.''

It ''will put to the test the combined capabilities in the most realistic set of scenarios possible, with safety in mind,'' said Teodoro.

Teodoro said he told the AFP ''to evolve as soon as possible into a multi-threat, multi-theater operating armed force, consistent with the archipelagic doctrine nature of our country and the necessity for defending it in a proactive and not a passive manner.''

US Ambassador to the Philippines MaryKay Carlson said ''Balikatan stands as proof of our collective commitment to enhancing interoperability in support of long-term prosperity not only for participant nations, but for the world.''

''Two days ago, I had the honor of joining President Marcos and our military leadership teams at the Combined Coordination Center ? Triple C ? to watch US and Philippine forces execute a complex live-fire event that demonstrated our alliance’s capability to enforce our mutual defense requirements,'' she said.

'' That was a highlight for me ? not just of my tenure here as Ambassador, but of my 39-year career. I’m also proud of numerous images showcasing Balikatan participants engaging in a wide range of knowledge and expertise sharing exercises from tactical operations to strategic maneuvers,'' Carlson added.

Balikatan Exercise 2024, which began on April 22, brought together over 16,000 service members from the Philippines, the United States, and partner nations, including Australia and France.

Participating forces engaged in various training scenarios throughout the exercise to enhance interoperability and readiness across critical areas such as external defense operations, cyber defense, counter-terrorism, humanitarian assistance and disaster response, and inter-agency capacity-building.

This year’s Balikatan highlighted the combined capabilities of the AFP and the US Armed Forces in addressing complex security challenges through the Information Warfighter Exercise (IWX) that empowered military planners to set the standard for future local IO training programs.

The first-ever Multilateral Maritime Exercise (MME) provided participating countries with invaluable knowledge to propel their naval forces.

Demonstrating proficiency in maritime defense tactics and promoting peace, the Counter Landing Live Fire Exercise and Maritime Strike Exercise showcased the combined capabilities of the AFP and the US Armed Forces in addressing complex security challenges.

AFP Chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. reaffirmed the strong bond between the two armed forces and their commitment to uphold peace, security, and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region.

“I expressed our deepest gratitude for the continuing learning and collaboration. To every soldier, airman, sailor, and marine from all the participating countries, I hope you optimized your takeaways from this year’s Balikatan exercise and utilized this in a more informative and productive Balikatan exercise in the future,” said Brawner. DMS