Pacific Partnership 2026 arrives in Tacloban, Philippines

TACLOBAN CITY, Philippines - Pacific Partnership 2026 (PP26) officially began its final mission stop in Tacloban City, Sept. 18, 2026, and will run through Sept. 29, 2026, marking the third time the mission has returned to the city and the 14th time it has come to the Philippines.

The mission brings together service members from partner nations, Canada, Germany, Japan, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom, as the U.S. and the Philippines celebrate 80 years of diplomatic relations, underscoring the enduring commitment of the U.S. and participating nations to the Philippines.

While in the Philippines, Pacific Partnership personnel will work alongside the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), non-profit organizations, and Filipino experts to increase regional security, enhance disaster response capabilities and regional interoperability, and foster new and enduring friendships.

“Pacific Partnership is further proof of America’s commitment to our ironclad ally, the Philippines,” said Lee Lipton, U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines. “It is always amazing to see Americans and Filipinos yet again join forces to make our people safer by delivering essential services, stronger through better disaster response capabilities, and more prosperous through a higher quality of life. In Tacloban during this mission, but across the country every day, we are delivering on the Trump Administration’s priorities for a free and open Indo-Pacific with our oldest treaty ally in the region.”

The start of the mission is scheduled to be commemorated with an opening ceremony on Sept. 21 at the Tacloban City Convention Center, featuring cultural performances by the Leyte Normal University dancers and remarks from Hon. Alfred Romualdez, mayor of Tacloban City; Hon. Carlos Jericho Petilla, governor of Leyte; AFP Maj. Gen. Peter Burgonio, commander of Joint Task Force Storm; and Ambassador Lipton.

“General Douglas MacArthur once vowed, ‘I have returned,’ on the very shores where Pacific Partnership 2026 is taking place today. True to those words, Pacific Partnership has returned to Tacloban City for the third time, continuing a tradition of partnership and cooperation with our Philippine allies that has endured for more than eight decades,” said U.S. Navy Capt. Robert Reyes, mission commander of PP26. “Pacific Partnership is an opportunity to demonstrate America’s commitment to the Philippines and its people remain steadfast. Through disaster response training, engineering projects, medical exchanges, and community outreach, we strengthen our collective readiness, deepen our relationships and build the capacity to stand together, both in times of peace and when crisis strikes.”

Engagements for this mission stop will focus on four lines of effort: engineering, medical, disaster management, and host nation outreach.

The U.S. Navy Seabees, assigned to Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 5 and Amphibious Construction Battalion 1, will work alongside the AFP 546th Engineer Construction Battalion and Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force Dispatching Engineer Unit engineers on crucial educational infrastructure, including the installation of new water hoses at Santa Elena Elementary School and the repair of a roof truss in a two-room schoolhouse at Lorenzo Daa Memorial School.

Medical efforts include side-by-side and subject-matter expert exchanges (SMEE) ranging from optometry and dentistry to rehabilitation that will take place at Leyte Provincial Hospital, as well as community health engagements across four local administrative units.

The disaster management team will conduct a variety of SMEEs alongside local experts, including urban search and rescue and incident command systems.

Additionally, the Pacific Partnership Band will perform at various locations, such as Robinson Mall.

“Being welcomed by the people of Tacloban City and the Philippines as a whole has made concluding Pacific Partnership 2026 here especially meaningful,” said U.S. Navy Lt. Mary Rose Gallardo, officer in charge of the Philippines mission stop. “Preparing for this mission has required tremendous time and commitment from all of our lines of effort, so we are all excited to get to work strengthening our ties with our Philippine partners. Learning from each other so that we can prepare for future challenges, building lasting partnerships based on mutual trust, reflects the heart and soul of Pacific Partnership–the people that have made this mission a success for over twenty years.”

This mission stop emphasizes building collective capacity in disaster preparedness and response. This is accomplished with the following objectives: advancing shared priorities by building interoperability through collaborative mission planning and execution; and enhancing collective disaster preparedness and response capabilities. Pacific Partnership highlights the shared goal of preparing during peacetime to respond during crises, fostering cooperation that benefits the entire region.

Now in its 22nd iteration, the Pacific Partnership series is the largest annual multinational humanitarian assistance and disaster management preparedness mission conducted in the region. Pacific Partnership works collaboratively with host and partner nations to enhance regional interoperability and disaster response capabilities, increase security in the theater, and foster new and enduring friendships in the theater.

U.S. 7th Fleet, the Navy's largest forward-deployed numbered fleet, routinely interacts and operates with allies and partners in preserving a free and open Indo-Pacific.

U.S. Pacific Fleet delivers combat-ready naval forces to defend the homeland and U.S. interests, provide credible deterrence, and strengthen U.S. alliances and partnerships to ensure a secure and prosperous region.

For updates and multimedia from Pacific Partnership 2026, follow #PacificPartnership, #PP26, and #PacificPartnership26 on social media or visit: https://www.dvidshub.net/feature/PacificPartnership

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