SINGAPORE—The U.S. and Philippines are holding one of their largest-ever military exercises involving thousands of troops on both sides, a sign that their security alliance is on firmer footing following years of turbulence that threatened to unravel a key U.S. relationship in the Indo-Pacific region.
The shift has been under way for the past year as Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte approaches the end of his six-year term. During much of his tenure, Mr. Duterte bristled at Washington’s admonishments of his human-rights record and drew his country closer to China. The U.S. alliance appeared particularly vulnerable when Manila in 2020 that facilitates visits to the Philippines by U.S. troops, ships and aircraft.