Answer: Philippines
Notes: The Philippines is hosting the 40th Exercise Balikatan, a multinational military drill from April 21 to May 9, 2025. Around 14,000 troops are participating, including 9,000 from the United States (U.S.), 5,000 from the Philippines, and 200 from Australia. Japan has joined as a full member for the first time and is conducting joint patrols in the South China Sea. The U.S. has deployed the Navy-Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS), an anti-ship missile system, for the first time in the Philippines. The drills include ship sinking, aerial surveillance, island defense, and special forces operations near Taiwan’s Batanes islands.
