THE Philippines is moving to deepen security relations with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) as it adjusts to constantly shifting geopolitical winds.
On Tuesday, Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. met with Adm. Giuseppe Cavo Dragone, chairman of the NATO military committee, on the sidelines of this year’s Paris Defense and Strategy Forum.
Teodoro is reported to have explored with Cavo Dragone a possible security partnership between Manila and NATO in the face of increasing and intensifying threats to the global world order.
Linking up with NATO is part of the Philippines’ thrust to look for security partners outside of the Asia-Pacific arena. A number of countries have shown interest, including the United Kingdom, France, India, and most recently, Canada.
In November, Manila and Ottawa signed a Status of Visiting Forces Agreement, a milestone road map for enhancing defense cooperation and facilitating joint military operations between the two countries.
It is the first such pact Canada has signed with an Asia-Pacific country, highlighting its intention to become more involved in security developments in the region, specifically the territorial disputes roiling the South China Sea.
The Philippines has been locked in a protracted confrontation with Beijing over territorial claims in the South China Sea. A large part of Manila’s diplomatic strategy is to involve long-standing allies like the United States and Japan in reinforcing its deterrent shield against repeated Chinese incursions into its waters.
Tokyo has deepened its security commitments, signing a Reciprocal Access Agreement with the Philippines that allows for easier joint combat drills, maritime patrols and resource sharing.
In 2023, Australia signed a landmark strategic partnership with the Philippines that included a defense cooperation agreement that will be formalized this year.
Questions, however, hover over the Philippines’ quest for security arrangements with countries and defense alliances outside the region. The South China Sea is volatile enough as it is, critics say. The entry of new military players could only ratchet up tensions further.
A well-taken point. The Philippines must temper its enthusiasm to build security partnerships with the awareness that it could be reduced to being a pawn in a high-stakes game dominated by superpowers.
It is too easy to fall into that trap.
In a joint statement in August, Teodoro and Australia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Richard Marles reiterated their concern that “Russia’s invasion of Ukraine had serious implications for security, stability and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific and beyond, and underscored their desire to see a just and lasting peace in Ukraine. They called on regional countries to prevent their companies from supplying dual-use goods to Russia’s military.”
They also underscored their concern over North Korea’s export of ballistic missiles, artillery shells and other military materiel to Russia for use against Ukraine and Russia’s training of North Korean soldiers involving arms or related materiel.
The statement dovetails with a narrative that NATO is trying to convince some members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) to contribute financially and materially to Ukraine in its war against Russia.
There were also reports some Philippine private businesses have been supplying generator sets to Ukraine, through a German company.
It would appear that the Ukraine war is as big a motivation for entering into security pacts with Asia-Pacific countries as providing a deterrent against China’s expansionist ambitions.
Not surprisingly, China has warned that the defense arrangements being pursued by the Philippines resemble a “North Atlantic Treaty Organization-like framework” that could undermine regional peace.
Beijing said the region’s security architecture should be based on dialogue and cooperation, not confrontation.
An Armed Forces of the Philippines spokesman has defended security cooperation among like-minded nations, saying it is “a normal action of countries to band together when they face common threats.”
“We welcome the international support provided to the Philippine-led efforts to ensure the rules-based order will remain in the West Philippine Sea,” the spokesman added.
We need to consult with our neighbors to ensure that the decisions we make are aligned toward strengthening regional security and stability.
Regional security and stability should be first and foremost.
As this year’s Asean chairman, the Philippines must take the lead in clarifying the shape and form of any emerging NATO-Asean engagement.