Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad on Wednesday said the country’s defense strategy is shifting from an inward-looking approach focused on local armed groups to an outward posture aimed at confronting threats from a world superpower.
In an interview on Bilyonaryo News Channel’s At The Forefront with Atty. Karen Jimeno, Trinidad said the shift requires the country to substantially increase its defense capabilities and budget, including acquiring more ships, aircraft and the support systems needed to operate them.
“We have to understand that the shift from internal security to external defense means that our systems, our capabilities, our weapons, and everything have to be at par with the threat that we are facing,” Trinidad said.
“Dati rati, naka-focus tayo sa CPP-NPA, terrorism, and all internal conflicts. Today, it’s a world superpower,” he added.
Trinidad said the country’s biggest defense gap is no longer simply acquiring individual pieces of equipment but developing entire systems that can support military operations.
“For the Navy and for the Air Force especially being technical branches of service, let’s say for the Air Force and aircraft, it has to operate as part of a bigger system,” he said.
He cited the need for fuel tankers, air control aircraft and ground control systems to support air operations.
“For the Navy, same thing,” Trinidad said as he noted that the shift would require a “large chunk” of the government’s total budget.
The proposed defense budget for 2027 is about P324 billion.
Trinidad said the amount could sustain current operations but would not be enough to significantly close the capability gap with potential adversaries.
“We could sustain operations for sure, but we need to have a spike, an increase in the way we do things,” he said.
“The pace of the adversary is fast. If we don’t increase our pace, the gap between us and the adversary would increase further,” Trinidad added.
He said the military needs “more ships and the supporting systems for ships and projecting them outward,” as well as more aircraft and the “whole ecosystem for projecting fighter aircraft.”
Trinidad also said the country needs to change its basing strategy, which he described as previously focused on internal security operations.
“Our basing strategy is focused internally. So we have bases in Luzon, Visayas, Mindanao, on the conflict areas in the past,” he said.
He cited bases in areas such as Luzon, Cotabato and Zamboanga, which were positioned to address conflicts involving communist rebels and other local armed groups.
“Right now, we need to be able to have bases that could help project our forces outward,” Trinidad said.
He said the military needs bases in strategic areas including Batanes and the Babuyan Islands, the West Philippine Sea, the country’s southern border and the eastern flank.
“Right now, on our eastern flank, we don’t have a Navy base there,” he said.
“To be able to project our capabilities outward, not anymore inward,” Trinidad added.
He also pointed to the need for a comprehensive approach to military modernization, saying acquiring warships alone would not be enough.
“We have the modern warships, and yet we have to rent from commercial,” Trinidad said.
“We need to have a comprehensive approach. It’s not only getting the ship, we need the bases, we need the ports, we need the support systems on those bases. That’s what we’re lacking,” he added.
Trinidad acknowledged that increasing defense spending could raise concerns about funding for social welfare, education and other government priorities.
“That has been the argument for the past 50 or 60 years. And we leave it up to the leaders of government,” he said.
He stressed, however, that the military was not calling for cuts in other sectors.
“We’re not saying that we decrease the others,” Trinidad said.
“What we are saying is we need a greater share for defense and security. It’s not a question of either or. We could have them at the same time,” he pointed out.#