We need to beef up our own defense capability to deal with any external threat even as we have to rely on the US and other allied countries to assist us in asserting national sovereignty and territorial integrity
The question has been asked: “Why do we have to rely on foreigners to defend our country?”
That query could well have been a rhetorical question, directed at no one in particular, if raised by an ordinary citizen with scant knowledge of the history of our bilateral relations with the United States.
But it was raised by Sen. Imee Marcos, chair of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, during a hearing on the modernization of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA), with Acting Defense Secretary Carlito Galvez as the main resource person.
Here’s part of how the discussions went.
Sen. Marcos told Secretary Galvez: “With regard to the purpose of EDCA and modernization, it appears to us that in fact modernization no longer appears to be the primary (aim) of EDCA but disaster preparedness, maritime security, and counter-terrorism…Why have we forgotten [AFP modernization] and we are just relying on foreigners to defend us while the armed forces remain (poorly) armed and completely (helpless) in the face of external threats?
Galvez responded to this observation by saying that under Horizon 3 of the AFP Modernization Program, the military will procure radar equipment, missile defense systems, and offshore patrol vessels, among others.
“The modernization effort of EDCA is, basically, to prepare to defend our country collectively with our allies.”
To this, Sen. Marcos said: “That’s a very general statement. I would appreciate it if you could submit in the near future the modernization aspect of EDCA, which has not been clarified to any of us in this chamber…You make reference to projects under Horizon projects one, two, and three, which were not referred to at EDCA, but are part and parcel of AFP modernization. What does EDCA add to the modernization effort?”
The lawmaker had earlier expressed misgivings over the government decision to allow the US to put up more locations for EDCA, which she said are a “stone’s throw” away from Taiwan amid the simmering tension between the US and China over the fate of the island, which Beijing considers a renegade province.
From where we sit, we need to form bilateral and multilateral defense alliances with the US and other countries for several reasons.
One, we have one of the weakest militaries in Southeast Asia.
One reason for this is that we relied on the security umbrella provided by the Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT) and the Military Bases Agreement (MBA), both signed with the United States in the post-World War II era.
With these two agreements, we did not have to build up our defense capabilities because the Americans had a pronounced air and naval presence in the country.
Two, because of the American guarantee of our national security particularly against any communist threat during the Cold War era, we had enough time to devote much of our economic resources to post-war reconstruction and fighting persistent poverty resulting from the large gap between the rich and the poor that however persists to this day.
We only had to deal with a homegrown communist insurgency from the late 1940s to the early 1960s armed mostly with World War II handguns and rifles.
Even as the Philippine Senate terminated the MBA in 1991, leading to the shutdown of Clark Air Base in Pampanga and Subic Naval Base in Zambales, we felt safe because of the MDT and the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) which made us feel secure from any external threat.
Three, the developed countries such as the US, China and Russia are the ones with large militaries and advanced weapon systems, including nuclear arsenals.
Over the years, modern warfare has evolved and the threat of a nuclear Armageddon looms large, with not just the US, China and Russia but also other countries now possessing nuclear weapons, such as North Korea, Iran, India and Pakistan.
We have to navigate the treacherous waters arising from Big Power rivalry and depend on the US and other friendly countries for our security requirements while we strengthen our own armed forces and build a credible defense posture in the meantime.
And four, China is now engaged in superpower rivalry with the United States here in the Indo-Pacific and having declared ownership of the practically the whole of the South China Sea under a fictional “nine-dash line” it claims on the basis of “historical right.”
China’s military has increased aggressive actions against our own military and prevented Filipino fishermen from engaging in their traditional source of livelihood in the South China Sea that we claim as part of our Exclusive Economic Zone under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.
China also appears intent on recovering Taiwan, which it wants to bring back under its control.
Taiwan’s close proximity to the Philippines brings us close to a possible armed attack by China against Taiwan in the near future, as early as 2025, according to US military analysts.
We therefore need to beef up our own defense capability to deal with any external threat even as we have to rely on the US and other allied countries to assist us in asserting national sovereignty and territorial integrity.
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