In case of war, the Philippines must fight and defend itself first before seeking help from the United States and other allies, Armed Forces of the Philippines chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. said. He made the remarks in a speech at the opening of this year’s ninth Armed Forces Joint Exercise “Dagat-Langit Lupa” (AJEX-DAGITPA) at Camp Aguinaldo.
In his speech, Brawner emphasized the importance of readiness through continuous training, modernization, and adapting to modern challenges. “So this exercise is really valuable in the sense that we will learn so much about the Armed Forces of the Philippines and we will learn how we will need to adapt to the new challenges, the new threats that we are facing today and the threats that we will be facing in the future. Kailangan natin talaga one step ahead,” he said.
AJEX-DAGITPA serves as “strategic rehearsals for real world contingencies,” validating concepts under the comprehensive archipelagic defense concept (CADC) and territorial defense plan Bantay Kalayaan, as well as the military’s new unilateral defense plan. “In the event of war on our soil, our ally and our partners are expecting us to fight the war ourselves during the first part of the conflict. We do the fighting first. That’s why our unilateral defense plan and this exercise we’re doing are very important,” Brawner said.
He pointed to the realities of the West Philippine Sea, where deterrence is built through training and unity of purpose. “We are already at war. I’ve been saying this many times. I want us to have that mindset. We are not at war with bullets and bombs but with disinformation, with coercion and with encroachment into our territories, into our exclusive economic zone,” he clarified. “Through this exercise, we demonstrate that the AFP never yields. We will adapt, we will anticipate and we will act decisively to defend our country and our people.”
To reporters, he added, “We have to rely on ourselves first.” The exercise involves the Philippine Coast Guard and Philippine National Police. While confident in security arrangements like the Mutual Defense Treaty with the US, he expects the Philippines to fight first but anticipates reinforcements. “We are expecting that if trouble erupts, we’ll be the first to do the fighting. But then we are expecting also reinforcements or help from our ally. And this is under the Mutual Defense Treaty,” he explained.
The unilateral defense plan expands to cover cyber war, information, electromagnetic, and space domains. Based on President Marcos’ guidance, the AFP should hold the line for at least 20 days or up to 30 days. Drills will also occur on Pag-asa Island in the West Philippine Sea to extend defenses. “Why do we need to extend our defenses to Pag-asa? That’s our original plan... we are extending this to our exclusive economic zone and to the other features that we are occupying, specifically Pag-asa Island,” he said.
The exercise grows in complexity each year, reflecting the evolving nature of modern warfare. However, Brawner acknowledged constraints like lack of ships, aircraft, sensors, and more, making the AFP modernization program vital.