The Philippine Air Force (PAF) and the U.S. Pacific Air Forces (PACAF) have launched a new round of joint air exercises under 'Cope Thunder Philippines 2025,' highlighting deepening military cooperation between the two allies.
The latest iteration of the drills began Monday at Clark Air Base in Pampanga province with an opening ceremony led by Lieutenant General Arthur M. Cordura of the PAF and Lieutenant Colonel Bryan E. Mussler from PACAF.
Scheduled to run from 7–18 July, the bilateral exercise will take place across northern Luzon, focusing on interoperability, joint tactics and operational coordination.
The Philippine Air Force has deployed 2,301 personnel and a range of aircraft, including FA-50PH jets, A-29B Super Tucanos and several helicopter variants. The U.S. side is contributing 225 personnel and F-35 fighter jets to strengthen joint capabilities.
Training will also include subject matter expert exchanges and field training exercises at key sites, emphasising enhanced readiness and cooperation in real-world scenarios.
The PAF described the exercise as a key milestone in advancing its modernisation goals and promoting regional stability across the Indo-Pacific.
This is the second round of Cope Thunder exercises held this year; the first took place from 8–19 April.
The Philippines is the U.S.’s oldest military ally in the Asia-Pacific. Under a mutual defence treaty, U.S. forces have access to Philippine military bases and regularly conduct joint drills across land, sea and air domains.
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Global oil prices reached a four year high on Monday (9 March), surpassing $119 a barrel, as conflict in the Middle East rumbled on. Meanwhile, the Turkish Military said NATO air defence systems destroyed a missile fired from Iran towards the country.
Global oil prices surpassed $119 a barrel on Monday (9 March, 2026), an almost four year high, as the Middle East conflict rumbled on.
China has urged Afghanistan and Pakistan to resolve their dispute through dialogue after Chinese envoy Yue Xiaoyong met Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, as fighting between the two neighbours entered its eleventh day.
Iranian civilian and military officials have pledged their obedience to the new leader, Ayatollah Seyed Mojtaba Khamenei, with President Masoud Pezeshkian saying his leadership “will herald a new era of dignity and authority for the Iranian nation.”.
Mojtaba Khamenei, son of the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, is a hardline cleric with strong backing from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. His rise signals continuity in Tehran's anti-Western policies.
Trump says the United States "don’t need people that join wars after we’ve already won," targeting his criticism at UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Israel continues to fire missles at strategic sites in Iran and Gulf regions report more strikes from Iran.
Global oil prices surpassed $119 a barrel on Monday (9 March, 2026), an almost four year high, as the Middle East conflict rumbled on.
Iran named Mojtaba Khamenei to succeed his father Ali Khamenei as supreme leader on Monday (9 March), signaling that hardliners remain firmly in charge, as the week-old U.S.-Israeli war with Iran pushed oil above $100 a barrel.
Entry and exit across the state border between Azerbaijan and Iran for all types of cargo vehicles, including those in transit, will resume on 9 March, according to a statement by the Cabinet of Ministers of Azerbaijan.
U.S. President Donald Trump and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer spoke by phone on Sunday as tensions between Washington and Westminster deepened over the conflict involving Iran. The call came less than a day after Trump criticised Britain’s response to U.S. strikes on Iranian targets.
Norwegian police are searching for a suspect after an explosion at the U.S. embassy in Oslo on 8 March caused minor damage but no injuries, in what authorities say may have been a deliberate attack linked to the Middle East crisis.
An explosion damaged a synagogue in the Belgian city of Liège early on Monday (9 March) in what authorities said was an antisemitic attack that caused damage but no injuries.
The Group of Seven (G7) finance ministers will meet on Monday to discuss a global rise in oil prices and a joint release of oil from emergency reserves coordinated by the International Energy Agency, the Financial Times reports.
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