WITH tensions escalating in the West Philippine Sea, our country can no longer afford to be complacent and stuck in yesterday’s wars. Our defense and security officials must ensure the integration of our armed forces with our American and Japanese allies. The occurrence of any armed attack or invasion is not a remote possibility anymore. This essentially requires our defense systems and capabilities to be integrated with our allies’ intelligence, missile systems, infantry and even defense industries.
For one, the proposed Pax Silica initiative in the Northern Luzon corridor cannot be ignored in our strategic equation — not only in terms of economic growth and employment, but also in strengthening the nation’s credible deterrence against any threats in the region. Pax Silica offers us an opportunity to invest in artificial intelligence (AI) and semiconductor manufacturing while consolidating our military alliances on Philippine soil. This, in itself, becomes our strongest buffer against future aggression.
Defense integration, however, must be anchored on continuing reforms in the country’s military architecture that was once largely insular and homeland-oriented toward an archipelagic and external defense framework. In simple strategic terms, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) must accelerate its shift from internal security operations to coastal and maritime defense by investing in surface-to-air missile systems, warships, radar systems and fighter aircraft. Any future aggression is more likely to come from the air and the sea rather than through a conventional land invasion. Those who think that the next war would primarily be fought on the ground are stuck in the battlefields of the 20th century. In fact, AI-fueled cognitive warfare has already inundated the country’s cyberdomain, sowing divisions, confusion and disinformation among our people.
The platforms that the Philippines and the United States can use toward defense integration already exist: the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty, the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA), and even Pax Silica. This can be operationalized through the bilateral maritime exercises in the West Philippine Sea with the US Seventh Fleet; building air defense systems in Northern Luzon; and establishing joint production and logistics of unmanned aerial systems, ship maintenance, and missile battery supply chains. The cost of all these initiatives will ultimately safeguard the country if its territory or critical infrastructure is attacked by a foreign adversary.
Such a transition to defense integration and forward defense must neither be delayed nor underestimated. Despite the country’s narrow fiscal space, both the executive and legislative branches are rethinking ways to generate the public funds needed to finance our archipelagic defense. It may entail new taxes, the sale of selected public assets, or even additional borrowings abroad. These measures may seem unpopular today, but when invading forces breach our defenses, the nation will regret not having made the tough but existential decisions where there was still time.
In defense integration, our military must harmonize its defense capabilities from missile systems and surveillance to light firearms, communications and battlefield maneuvers with US and Japanese allies. This entails joint military exercises, officer exchanges, arms acquisition and technology transfer, and intelligence sharing. Most importantly, there must be a common operational language, shared doctrine and mutual bond forged through constant interactions between military officers and enlisted personnel. At the end of the day, every soldier must have absolute confidence that the man beside him will stand and fight against a common adversary.
The Philippines is at a crossroads. Despite the political intramurals among the ruling elites, other sectors of society — business, academe, civic groups, and local governments — must think beyond personalities and administrations. The defense of national sovereignty is everyone’s business, for freedom is never fought by soldiers alone, but by an entire nation that refuses to surrender its destiny. History has taught us the tragedy of nations that prepared too late for war. They easily give up and capitulate to stronger forces. If we fail to strengthen our defenses today by intersecting with our allies, we may one day discover that the price of complacency is far greater than the cost of vigilance.
