Eight nations are converging on Olongapo City, Zambales, this week for a series of maritime security exercises under the ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting-Plus framework — an event that Defense Secretary Gilberto C. Teodoro Jr. officially opened on Monday, calling on participating navies to deepen trust and build lasting networks across the Indo-Pacific.
The activities, formally known as the ADMM-Plus Experts' Working Group on Maritime Security (EWG-MS) Joint Cooperative Activity (JCA) and Future Leaders' Program (FLP), are being co-chaired by the Philippines and Japan. According to the Department of National Defense, the exercises run from September 20 to 26, 2026, and involve harbor and sea phase operations featuring naval personnel, vessels, and aircraft drawn from eight ADMM-Plus member states.
Observer representatives from other ASEAN member countries and ASEAN dialogue partners were likewise invited to witness the week-long drills, the DND confirmed.
Teodoro Sets Two Goals for the Joint Exercises
At the opening ceremony, Secretary Teodoro laid out what he described as the two foundational aims he wants the exercises to accomplish. Speaking before assembled delegates, diplomats, and senior naval officers, the Defense Secretary said he wants participants to become thoroughly familiar with shared procedures and to cultivate the kind of personal trust and networking that can outlast any single exercise.
"We hope that this exercise will be foundational in two things: number one, learning the procedures or getting familiar with the procedures and working together and cooperation; and secondly, develop, at an early stage, networking, trust, and cooperation amongst all the participants and your respective defense establishments and navies," Teodoro said, as quoted by the DND.
Teodoro also drew a connection to the previous week's ASEAN Ministerial Conference on Disaster Resilience, citing the shared commitments that emerged from that gathering — particularly the emphasis on faster, science-driven anticipatory actions ahead of natural calamities, and the need for secure, reliable channels for transmitting critical information across borders.
Open Sea Lanes Seen as Essential to Security and Disaster Response
Beyond direct response operations, the Defense Secretary stressed the importance of early detection and advance prepositioning of resources — efforts he said require unimpeded access to regional waterways. Teodoro specifically pointed to free and open sea lanes of communication as a prerequisite for any effective multilateral security or disaster response mechanism.
"Our collaboration and cooperation not merely in response but in early prepositioning, working together, and in detection becomes more critical," the Defense Secretary said, according to the Department of National Defense.
His remarks reflect an increasingly prominent Philippine foreign policy posture: that maritime cooperation among like-minded partners is inseparable from both conventional security challenges and the growing threat posed by climate-driven disasters in the Indo-Pacific.
Junior Officers Take Center Stage in Future Leaders' Program
Running parallel to the main JCA drills is the Future Leaders' Program, which the DND describes as a structured platform giving junior naval officers from participating nations the opportunity to engage one another on the most pressing maritime and security issues of the day. The program covers four substantive areas: climate change and its maritime implications, maritime security doctrine, the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), and the protection of Critical Underwater Infrastructure.
The dual-track design of the week's activities — operational drills for active naval forces alongside a leadership development program for junior officers — reflects the overarching theme unifying both components: "Enhancing Maritime Security and Environmental Resilience in Response to Climate Change." That theme signals the exercises' dual mandate of addressing both conventional security concerns and the environmental pressures reshaping the Indo-Pacific strategic environment.
Philippines Reaffirms Commitment to ADMM-Plus Framework
In closing his address, Secretary Teodoro underscored Manila's long-term commitment to the ADMM-Plus framework and to the shared principles that bind its member states together. He expressed eagerness to receive feedback from participating delegations once the exercises conclude.
"We are committed to sustaining the significant progress we have made in our areas of practical cooperation, strengthening our solidarity, and to defending our principles, shared principles. I look forward to receiving feedback about key observations, lessons learned, and best practices from these important engagements which will guide us in navigating our future together," Teodoro said, as recorded by the DND.
Senior Officials Witness the Opening Rites
The opening ceremony drew a high-ranking audience of naval officials and members of the diplomatic corps. The Department of National Defense confirmed that Philippine Navy Flag Officer in Command Vice Admiral Jose Ma. Ambrosio Q. Ezpeleta was present, as was Rear Admiral Edwin M. Nera, who serves as Chief of Staff of the Philippine Navy and as the Philippine Co-Chair of the EWG-MS. Representing the Japanese side was Rear Admiral Terada Hiroyuki of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (Ret.), fulfilling the role of Japanese Co-Chair. Delegates from all eight participating ADMM-Plus nations also attended.
By the Numbers
- 8 — ADMM-Plus member countries participating in the JCA and FLP
- 7 days — Length of the exercise period, September 20 to 26, 2026
- 2 — Co-chair nations leading the EWG-MS: the Philippines and Japan
- 4 — Topics covered in the Future Leaders' Program: climate change, maritime security, UNCLOS, and Critical Underwater Infrastructure security
Why This Matters
The ADMM-Plus JCA and Future Leaders' Program represent one of the region's most concrete multilateral efforts to translate diplomatic commitments on maritime security into tangible operational and professional ties among naval forces. By exposing junior officers from eight nations to shared legal frameworks like UNCLOS and to real-world coordination procedures, the exercises help institutionalize cooperative habits before those officers reach senior command positions. As co-chair alongside Japan, the Philippines is also reinforcing its active leadership role within the ASEAN defence architecture at a time when maritime tensions and climate-related risks in the Indo-Pacific are intensifying.
Source: Department of National Defense / DND Philippines