POTD: Philippine Marine With Marine Scout Sniper Rifle
In today’s Photo Of The Day, we head to the island of Palawan, Philippines, where a Philippine Marine with the 3rd Marine Brigade takes aim with a Marine Scout Sniper Rifle during a live-fire counter-landing exercise. The rifle scope is from Nightforce.
These images were captured on April 28, 2025, as part of Exercise Balikatan 25, a major bilateral military event between the U.S. Armed Forces and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP). “Balikatan,” meaning shoulder-to-shoulder in Tagalog, emphasizes interoperability and trust when it comes to combined arms and precision engagements like this one.
The M240B Machine Gun below.
This year’s iteration of Balikatan showcases not just firepower, but joint training in amphibious operations, air-ground integration, and real-world combat scenarios. Here, Filipino forces have the opportunity to train with U.S. gear and doctrine, building capability and familiarity in high-stakes environments.
A M60 machine gun for a counter-landing live-fire event can be seen below.
Image source: U.S. Marine Corps, photo by Sgt. Ezekieljay Correa.
Ex-Arctic Ranger. Competitive practical shooter and hunter with a European focus. Always ready to increase my collection of modern semi-automatics, optics, thermals and suppressors. TCCC Certified. Occasionaly seen in a 6x6 Bug Out Vehicle, always with a big smile.
More by Eric B
![[SHOT 2025] Glock Debuts Aimpoint Combo Pistols, New Pistol Light](https://cdn-fastly.thefirearmblog.com/media/2025/01/22/00501/shot-2025-glock-debuts-aimpoint-combo-pistols-new-pistol-light.jpg?size=350x220)
![[SHOT 2025] Geissele BOLT ACTION And More](https://cdn-fastly.thefirearmblog.com/media/2025/01/22/23331/shot-2025-geissele-bolt-action-and-more.jpg?size=350x220)
![[SHOT 2025] SIG Sauer’s Advanced New Machine Gun Optic - the MGL](https://cdn-fastly.thefirearmblog.com/media/2025/01/27/17081/shot-2025-sig-sauers-advanced-new-machine-gun-optic-the-mgl.jpg?size=350x220)
Comments
Join the conversation
What’s the point of all these cooperative training missions for events that won’t ever happen? When will the USA and phillapines ever be wide by side battling anyone? And even if they do, it would just be the US telling them what to do. Regular army could probably play video games for years and be just as prepared as they are doing all this extra stuff.
I didn't think the U.S. fought in Marawi?