US Special Operations Chief Signals Expanded Drills Across Asia
US special operations forces are poised to expand combat readiness exercises with Asian allies, including the Philippines, to deter major conflict.
The commander of US Special Operations Command has indicated that American special forces are prepared to intensify warfighting-readiness exercises with partners in the Philippines and elsewhere in Asia, aiming to bolster the security alliance and deter a major regional conflict.
Admiral Frank Bradley made the remarks in Manila on Thursday, following a visit to South Korea. He is scheduled to travel to Japan next for talks with military officials. His trip is part of a recent series of visits by senior US military leaders to key Asian allies, intended to reaffirm Washington's commitment to the region.
Bradley's command, which is headquartered at MacDill Air Force Base in Florida and comprises roughly 80,000 personnel, is responsible for some of the US military's most sensitive operations. He noted that the majority of his forces are deployed across more than 80 countries.
Discussions with Filipino officials centered on the Philippine military's modernization efforts, the intensification of joint combat exercises, and the expansion of a security alliance network to counter China's increasingly assertive actions in the South China Sea. The region has seen long-standing territorial standoffs involving China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, and Taiwan, with recent confrontations particularly frequent between Chinese and Philippine forces.
Washington has repeatedly stressed its treaty obligation to defend the Philippines, its oldest ally in Asia, in the event of an armed attack on Filipino forces. Bradley argued that a cohesive alliance of nations, each investing in defense and conducting regular joint readiness drills, serves as the strongest deterrent against conflict.
"The best way to deter conflict is by being able to demonstrate convincingly to any adversary who may want to start a conflict that they won't be able to win it," Bradley said. "Where we have strong alliance structures… conflict has not come to it. Together, we are stronger, and together, we can prevent those conflicts from coming to us."
Large-scale US-Philippine exercises have increasingly involved other nations such as Japan, Australia, Canada, and France, with a focus on territorial defense in the South China Sea. US special forces have participated in these annual drills and in smaller exercises in western Philippine provinces and the northernmost island province of Batanes, which lies near Taiwan.
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had earlier disclosed plans for joint special forces training in Batanes during a visit to Manila. Bradley did not provide specifics on the current training, including troop numbers or maneuvers, but confirmed the exercises are ongoing and could expand. "In the future, how it might scale will be based upon the sovereign needs of the Philippines and where the Philippine government may want us to come and partner, but we will always be committed to be a strong partner," he said.