Armed Forces of the Philippines chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. (PNA photo by Priam F. Nepomuceno)
MANILA – An archipelagic country like the Philippines needs to invest in upgrading and beefing up its naval and air defense assets to protect its vast territory, Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. said.
Brawner, in an interview with reporters, said the upgrading of the Air Force and the Navy's external defense capabilities includes the acquisition of more advanced jet fighters and other air assets needed to patrol along with naval vessels.
"(Dahil archipelagic), kailangan talaga nating mag-invest sa maritime and air power unlike 'yung ibang bansa (sa Southeast Asia) na land-locked (We really need to invest in improving our maritime and air power (the Philippines is an archipelagic nation), unlike some countries (in Southeast Asia) that are land-locked)," he added.
The AFP Modernization Program has shifted to provide the military with the capabilities needed to protect the country's exclusive economic zone (EEZ) or 200 nautical miles from its coast.
This shift is now ongoing under Horizon 3 of the program.
Originally, the Horizon 3 was made with "territorial defense in depth" in mind meaning that the military has to wait for threats to come near before engaging them and consists of "first. second, third, and fourth line of defense".
This means defensive efforts now focus on defending the Philippines' EEZ and not only the country's baselines or coasts, Brawner said.
The refocus is similar to the US's defense strategy of "forward defense" where threats are contained or repulsed as far away as possible.
This is in light of the recent incidents including firing water cannons and making "dangerous maneuvers" in the South China Sea.
China, the Philippines and several other littoral states have overlapping claims in the hotly contested area.
The Philippines on July 12, 2016, won its petition filed before the Permanent Court of Arbitration after the arbitral tribunal invalidated China's claim of supposed historic rights over almost the entire SCS. (PNA)
