The new ‘norm’? Australia, Philippines stage largest-ever military drills

SCMP | Aug. 20, 2025, midnight | Original

Australian troops disembark a heavy transport aircraft at Clark Air Force Base, the Philippines, during a tactical air land operation as part of Exercise Alon 2025. Photo: Australia’s Defence Department

Off the shores of Palawan, more than 3,600 troops from Australia and the Philippines are taking part in their largest-ever military drills, marking a decisive shift in Canberra’s Indo-Pacific security strategy.
Exercise Alon, launched on Friday, is taking place less than 300 nautical miles (555km) from the Philippine-held Thitu Island in the Spratly archipelago – an area at the heart of escalating territorial disputes in the South China Sea .

Beijing claims the Spratly island group alongside almost all of the contested waterway – claims disputed by the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei, among others.

Named after the Filipino word for “wave”, Alon encompasses live-fire drills, amphibious landings, air support operations and special forces manoeuvres. Among the Australian assets deployed are a guided-missile destroyer, F/A-18 fighter jets, Javelin anti-tank missiles and C-130 transport aircraft.

Australian troops gesture as Philippine frigate BRP Jose Rizal sails past the Australian destroyer HMAS Brisbane during Exercise Alon earlier this month. Photo: Australia’s Defence Department
Australian troops gesture as Philippine frigate BRP Jose Rizal sails past the Australian destroyer HMAS Brisbane during Exercise Alon earlier this month. Photo: Australia’s Defence Department

Observers from the US, Canada, Japan, South Korea, New Zealand and Indonesia are attending the drills, which are scheduled to conclude on August 29.

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