“You have reached your destination.”

Philippine Marines secure a beach landing after inserting from a UH-60 Blackhawk during a bilateral amphibious landing during Balikatan 22 at Claveria, Philippines, March 31, 2022.

Balikatan is an annual exercise between the Armed Forces of the Philippines and U.S. military designed to strengthen bilateral interoperability, capabilities, trust, and cooperation built over decades shared experiences. Balikatan, Tagalog for ‘shoulder-to-shoulder,’ is a longstanding bilateral exercise between the Philippines and the United States highlighting the deep-rooted partnership between both countries. Balikatan 22 is the 37th iteration of the exercise and coincides with the 75th anniversary of the U.S.-Philippine security cooperation.

U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Melanye Martinez