THE Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) will need to develop the capability to project its defense presence at least 200 nautical miles from the country’s shores under the government’s new Comprehensive Archipelagic Defense Concept (CADC), Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. said.
Teodoro said implementing the concept requires major reengineering of AFP infrastructure and capabilities, including the establishment of firm bases from which forces could be projected into the country’s maritime areas.
“The infrastructure of the Armed Forces must be reengineered in order to include this concept because it will need an element of projection really to at least 200 nautical miles from your shores,” Teodoro said during a news forum held over the weekend.
The 200-nautical-mile distance corresponds to the breadth of the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ), where the country exercises sovereign rights over resources under international law.
Teodoro said the CADC would fundamentally change the AFP’s approach to national defense, moving it away from a largely reactionary posture toward one focused on anticipation and sustained presence in the country’s maritime domain.
He said the previous defense concept was more akin to preparing for a final defensive position, while the new framework requires the military to develop capabilities to operate farther from the Philippine mainland.
“It restructures the whole mindset of the Armed Forces of the Philippines,” Teodoro said.
Expanding mission area
The CADC expands the AFP’s mission area beyond internal security operations to include the country’s EEZ and extended continental shelf.
Teodoro said this shift explains the increased emphasis on joint operations and maritime cooperative activities involving the AFP’s different branches and partner countries.
The Philippines is about 80 percent water and 20 percent land, he said, making the protection of its maritime areas critical to the country’s future.
“If you do not do anything to try to forestall any other country or entity from appropriating something that is entitled — is an entitlement of the Philippines — then what is the use of having an armed force?” Teodoro said.
He said implementing the CADC would require additional infrastructure, personnel, equipment and operational capabilities.
The concept also calls for greater cooperation with like-minded countries, with Teodoro saying no single country can address security challenges alone.
He acknowledged that many of the capabilities required under the CADC should have been developed earlier but the Philippines had not previously seen the need for them.
Building the new defense posture, he said, would require substantial financial and resource commitments.
“It will take a lot of sacrifice in terms of finances and resources, but we cannot escape it,” Teodoro said.
He cited Singapore as an Asean country that has consistently devoted substantial resources to defense, saying it has spent about 6 to 7 percent of its gross domestic product on core defense since its creation.
Teodoro said the CADC would complement the Philippines’ assertion of its maritime rights by giving the AFP the capabilities and infrastructure needed to protect the country’s maritime entitlements.
