Germany and the Philippines underscored the importance of establishing a mechanism for exchanging classified information between their armed forces during a forum on Tuesday.
Speaking at the Stratbase ADR Institute Forum in Taguig City, German Ambassador to the Philippines Andreas Michael Pfaffernoschke emphasized that such an agreement is essential for maximizing the potential of the newly established German-Philippine defense cooperation pact.
“Discussing an agreement on sharing classified information is obviously needed because if you talk more about defense cooperation and you want to share information about military equipment, this is the basis for that. Otherwise, you cannot share this,” he said.
In the same forum, Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Deputy Chief of Staff for Plans Maj. Gen. Rommel Cordova said a “clearer arrangement” on intelligence sharing would also help Manila deal with foreign malign influence and information warfare.
Cordova noted that the Philippines is keen to understand how the German military addresses cyber and information space threats, particularly through the establishment of its newest branch, the Cyber and Information Domain Service.
“This is an area for further collaboration with Germany and other countries to include Canada because of that very reason—the way our adversary is using disinformation, misinformation and malign influence, we have a lot to learn,” he said.
“When we talk about cyber, you’re talking about classified matters already. Yes, we have this defense arrangement, but we need to have a clearer arrangement on how to share classified information,” Cordova added.
Berlin and Manila recently formalized a new defense cooperation agreement, which includes potential collaboration in areas such as cybersecurity, defense armament, logistics, and United Nations peacekeeping efforts.
“We neither have the capacity nor will that be in line with our political philosophy, but we are looking to build resilient sovereign partners. The Philippines aligns very well with this philosophy,” Pfaffernoschke said.
The German envoy noted that Manila has “consistently shown” strong commitment to international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
“The Philippines is at the heart of the Indo-Pacific, one of the most dynamic yet contested regions of the world. It’s geographical location along critical sea lanes, especially in the South China Sea makes it a key player in ensuring freedom of navigation, maritime security and thereby the rules-based international order,” he said.