JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii – -- Cope Thunder - Philippines 25-2, a Pacific Air Forces-sponsored exercise, is scheduled to begin July 7th, with primary flight operations over Basa Air Base, Philippines, and is scheduled to run through July 18.
Cope Thunder exercises aim to facilitate bilateral fighter training with the Philippine Air Force, enhancing Alliance readiness and combined interoperability among participating forces.
Originating in the Philippines in 1976, Cope Thunder relocated to Eielson Air Force Base in 1992, later rebranding as Red Flag Alaska. Resuming in the Philippines in 2023, this exercise offers a distinctive platform to integrate forces and enhance interoperability between the Philippine and United States air forces.
The shared commitments, embedded in the U.S.-Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty of 1951, are fundamental to our bilateral defense and security relations. The U.S.-Philippines Alliance supports regional and global security by increasing readiness, strengthening deterrence, and fostering a peaceful and stable Indo-Pacific.