The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) will shortly set up its so-called “Strategic Defense Command” which would supervise military exercises with foreign countries.
In a media interview, AFP spokesperson Col. Francel Margareth Padilla said the unit is expected to be fully operational by this year. “We’re looking at creating this within the year. We still donโt have an actual timeline for this because it will go through the normal process,” she added.
Padilla said the creation of the “Strategic Defense Command” is deemed necessary as the AFP’s training exercises with foreign countries have been growing larger by the year. An example of this is the annual “Balikatan” and “Salaknib” exercises with the US military.
At present, joint exercises are being conducted under the supervision of the AFP Education, Doctrine and Training Command. This proposed unit will also be tasked with training in the use of modern equipment the AFP is acquiring and how best to “interoperate and integrate” with foreign nations conducting military exercises with the Philippines,โ she added.
Padilla said that the “Strategic Defense Command” will go into a provisional phase until the unit is formally constituted and activated. (With PNA)