Posted: 04/20/2023
U.S. Marines with 3d Littoral Combat Team, 3d Marine Littoral Regiment, 3d Marine Division fire Mk 153 Shoulder-Launched Multipurpose Assault Weapons during Balikatan 23 in Santa Juliana, Philippines, April 12, 2023. Balikatan 2023 is the 38th iteration of the annual bilateral exercise between the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the U.S. military. The exercise includes three weeks of training focused on amphibious operations, command and control, humanitarian assistance, urban operations and counterterrorism skills throughout northern and western Luzon. Coastal defense training figures prominently in the Balikatan 23 training schedule. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Jennifer Andrade)