USS Ashland (LSD 48) participates in Exercise Balikatan 22

Credit: Petty Officer 2nd Class Michael Doan | Date Taken: 03/31/2022
The forward-deployed amphibious landing dock ship USS Ashland (LSD 48), part of Amphibious Squadron 11, participates in Exercise Balikatan 22. Balikatan is an annual exercise between the Armed Forces of the Philippines and U.S. military designed to strengthen bilateral interoperability, capabilities, trust, and cooperation built over decades shared experiences. Balikatan, Tagalog for 'shoulder-to-shoulder,' is a longstanding bilateral exercise between the Philippines and the United States highlighting the deep-rooted partnership between both countries. Balikatan 22 is the 37th iteration of the exercise and coincides with the 75th anniversary of U.S.-Philippine security cooperation. (U.S. Navy video by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Michael Doan)