Defense Secretary Gilberto C. Teodoro Jr. commended the Philippine Air Force (PAF) as “absolutely inspiring” following his August 6–7 visit to Exercise Pitch Black 2026 at the Royal Australian Air Force base in Darwin, Australia.
Teodoro highlighted the complexity of the multinational exercise, particularly pointing to a Filipino pilot who served as Strike Package commander, leading 20 aircraft from five nations in a 60-plane mission.
“It’s awesome, so to speak, and it’s humbling,” Teodoro said. “I was genuinely proud and amazed, and it was an eye-opener seeing how complicated an exercise this is.”
He emphasized that mission success relies on a broader network beyond the aircrew. “What’s also there [is] the importance of those on the ground and those who brought our people here. So it’s a whole ecosystem that needs to work together, not merely the participation of one, but the crucial participation of all,” he noted, adding, “And for us to work on the microsecond level, it is really something that each and every Filipino should be proud of.”
Observing the 21-nation drills, Teodoro reaffirmed the country’s commitment to regional defense partnerships and international law.
“The exercise yesterday impresses upon us the need, really, to work shoulder-to-shoulder, closely; alignment in interoperability, and of course, underscored by the general values which we uphold: international law and UNCLOS,” he said. “And we will work our level best on the Philippine side to match the commitments of all our partners, and we value very greatly the full commitment of Australia to our bilateral and multilateral engagements.”