China’s usual blockade at Ayungin Shoal did not materialize yesterday during the latest rotation and resupply mission for BRP Sierra Madre.
“Mission accomplished!” Armed Forces spokesperson Col. Francel Padilla said in a post on X.
“Today, we executed a flawless rotation and resupply operation for BRP Sierra Madre. Teamwork, precision, and dedication at its best,” she added.
Former US Air Force Col. Ray Powell said the latest resupply mission was “very different” with the absence of China’s maritime and militia vessels.
Powell said Beijing’s vessels were staying back at Panganiban Reef or Mischief Reef.
“Whatever deal the two sides made in Shanghai may have dialed down China’s aggression (for now),” he said.
“The Philippines’ resupply seems to have encountered virtually no resistance from China. Of course, there are certainly AIS-dark vessels we can’t see (e.g., Chinese Coast Guard 5203) but those we can detect have kept their distance,” Powell added.
As this developed, the Philippine Navy spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea said they are in need of two or three submarines.
“We do not only [need] one submarine, we need two or three,” Commodore Roy Vincent Trinidad said.
President Marcos earlier approved adjustments to the AFP modernization program’s “Horizon 3,” Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. said.
Teodoro said these will range from domain awareness, connectivity, intelligence capabilities, and deterrence capabilities on maritime and aerial domains.
The Defense chief said the Philippines is also starting a new defense concept called the Comprehensive Archipelagic Defense Concept.