The ongoing Salaknib military exercises between the US and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) once again demonstrate how the the country is being drawn ever deeper into the vortex of inter-imperialist conflict. These military exercises are part of a broader architecture of militarization that is steadily positioning the Philippines as a frontline state in a potential war between the US and China.

This year’s Salaknib drills, which started on April 6 in Fort Magsaysay, Nueva Ecija, are particularly alarming in both scale and scope. More than 7,000 soldiers from the US and the Philippines are participating, with additional troops from Japan, Australia, and New Zealand. For the first time, around 420 members of the Japan Ground Self- Defense Force are taking part in command-and-control coordination and live-fire drills, alongside 100 Australian personnel and dozens of troops from New Zealand.

Salakinb is immediately followed by the much larger Balikatan exercises, which will bring in thousands more foreign troops and involve increasingly complex warfighting simulations, including live-fire drills and so-called “territorial defense” scenarios. Notably, plans are underway for the deployment of Japanese combat troops during Balikatan, marking the first time since the end of World War II that such forces will operate on Philippine soil.

In recent years, these joint exercises have seen the steady increase in troop deployments. Balikatan, in particular has expanded into its largest iteration yet this year with 17,000 troops from seven countries joining. This continuous escalation reflects US imperialism’s deepening war preparations against China, with the Philippines systematically being integrated as an operational hub in the “first island chain” strategy. Each successive increase in troop presence further entrenches foreign military forces in the country and heightens the risk that the Philippines will be drawn into a major inter-imperialist war.

In addition to troop deployments, the US also seeks to transform local communities into logistical nodes, training grounds, and potential battle zones. Each iteration of Salaknib and Balikatan tightens this integration.

For instance, the Pentagon recently revealed its plan to construct a fuel storage and refueling depot in Davao. Far from being a benign infrastructure project, this facility is a critical component of sustained military warfare. Fuel depots enable prolonged deployments of naval and air assets, ensuring that US forces can operate continuously in the region in the event of open conflict.

This plan follows earlier proposals to establish ammunition manufacturing facilities in the Philippines, including the production and assembly of military-grade munitions.

The dangers of this trajectory are already evident in other parts of the world. The ongoing war waged by US imperialism against Iran has already demonstrated the grave risks faced by countries that host US military facilities. Bases, depots, and logistical hubs become immediate military targets in times of war, exposing entire populations to retaliation and devastation.

This same danger now looms over the Philippines. In the event of a full-scale war between the US and China, US-linked facilities across the archipelago, from EDCA sites to newly proposed depots and factories, will become legitimate military targets. The Filipino people will bear the brunt of this confrontation, suffering the consequences of a war not of their making.

The reactionary regime’s full embrace of these expanding military arrangements are part of their long history of subservience to US imperialist interests. Since the formal end of direct colonial rule in 1946, successive puppet presidents have consistently upheld unequal military agreements from the Military Bases Agreement to the Visiting Forces Agreement and the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement all of which guarantee permanent US military presence on Philippine soil.

The current Marcos Jr regime has not only maintained these unequal treaties but has aggressively expanded them by allowing additional EDCA sties, facilitating increased US troop deployment and the construction of related logistical warfare facilities. By aligning ever more closely with US war plans, Marcos Jr. and the AFP are reinforcing the country’s dependency that has long undermined the Filipino people’s aspirations for genuine independence.

Preventing the outbreak of a catastrophic war requires confronting the very system that makes such unequal relations between nations possible. As long as the Philippines remains under the grip of the ruling big comprador bourgeoisie and the landlord class who are both beholden to US imperialist interests, it will continue to serve as a pawn in imperialist war plans.

In the final analysis, the path to genuine peace and security lies in advancing the national democratic revolution. Only by dismantling the structures of US imperialist domination and elite rule can the Filipino people assert genuine sovereignty over their land and resources. Only by establishing a people’s democratic government on a national scale can the Philippines chart a truly independent foreign policy: one that refuses to serve as a staging ground for imperialist wars and instead upholds the interests of the Filipino masses.