POTD: Tropic Lightning Holds the Dunes at Balikatan 2026

Summary

Exercise Balikatan 2026's Counter Landing Live Fire Exercise North (CLLFX-N) took place on May 4, 2026, at the La Paz Sand Dunes in Luzon, Philippines. The multi-domain defense drill involved U.S., Philippine, Japanese, and Canadian forces, utilizing various assets including M240B and M250 machine guns, F-16s, HIMARS, and Apache helicopters against a simulated amphibious landing.