The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) plans to shore up its weapons inventory with the acquisition of two submarines and an Indian-made short-range missile system in the face of China’s aggressive military presence in the West Philippines Sea.
“Hopefully we can achieve that, within the specified time. Remember what we need is really funds in order for us to achieve the objectives that (is) set for the Horizon 3 of the AFP Modernization Program,” AFP Chief Gen. Romeo Brawner, Jr. said Wednesday in a business forum.
Under the original AFP Modernization Program, which is divided into three phases known as Horizons, Horizon 1 spanned from 2013 to 2017, Horizon 2 covered 2018 to 2022, and Horizon 3 was set for 2023 to 2028.
However, the acquisition plan for Horizon 3 underwent significant revisions and was restructured as “Re-Horizon 3,” which received approval in January 2024 and is now set to extend for 10 years.
The budget allocation for the AFP’s submarine acquisition program ranges between PHP 80 billion and PHP 110 billion.
This funding will cover the procurement of two submarines, as well as the necessary basing infrastructure and other logistical requirements.
The AFP chief emphasized the importance of a submarine capability, specifically diesel-electric types, due to the country’s archipelagic geography.
Meanwhile, reports have it that negotiations are wrapping up for the Philippines’ acquisition of Akash surface-to-air missiles from India’s Bharat Dynamics.
Unnamed sources from New Delhi supposedly revealed that Manila would place the first order for the missile system in the second quarter, in a deal costing some $200 million.
If the deal pans out, the medium-range air defense system will be the AFP’s second major missile acquisition from India’s defense sector.
It can be recalled that in 2022, the Philippines purchased BrahMos supersonic cruise from BrahMos Aerospace, a Russo-Indian joint venture.
Department of Defense (DND) spokesperson Arsenio Andolong refused to comment on the reported missile acquisition but said the Philippines indeed has need of such capabilities.
As this developed, the Philippine military expressed hope that longtime ally South Korea would join the Indo-Pacific alliance “Squad” with the US, Australia and Japan.
Brawner asserts that including South Korea in the Squad—a multilateral security partnership among allied nations—will enhance the collective capabilities of Manila, Washington, Tokyo, and Canberra.
“We believe they also have a stake in the security aspect of the region,” Brawner said Wednesday, Feb. 12.
“Even if we say that this is an informal security architecture, we believe that more countries joining this will be beneficial because we are promoting, in fact, the same objectives, which is to promote a free and open Indo-Pacific, and also a rules-based international order,” he added.
The Squad was established last year following a series of trilateral initiatives led by the United States and its treaty allies, including the Philippines, to address escalating concerns over China’s assertiveness in the region.
According to Brawner, the multilateral security partnership seeks to “strengthen each of our respective capabilities.”
“The more countries that you have on your side, the better. You become stronger as a collective group rather than individual countries with their own interests,” he noted.