U.S. Marines with 3d Littoral Combat Team, 3d Marine Littoral Regiment, 3d Marine Division, secure a landing zone for a U.S. Army landing craft, utility, assigned to 10th Regional Support Group, transporting a High Mobility Artillery Rocket System assigned to 1st Multi-Domain Task Force, during a joint, bilateral, littoral campaign as part of Balikatan 23 on Basco, Philippines, April 24, 2023. The littoral campaign took place over three days, during which the joint and bilateral force secured key maritime terrain on three islands in the Luzon Strait. Balikatan 23 is the 38th iteration of the annual bilateral exercise between the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the U.S. military. The exercise includes three weeks of training focused on amphibious operations, command and control, humanitarian assistance, urban operations and counterterrorism skills throughout northern and western Luzon. Coastal defense training figures prominently in the Balikatan 23 training schedule. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Patrick King)