The Philippines will need more vessels to secure its territories, military chief General Romer Brawner said Wednesday, amid the growing dispute with Beijing in the West Philippine Sea.
Brawner, who attended the opening of the Asian Defense and Security (ADAS) 2024 exhibition at the World Trade Center, told reporters that Manila is looking at big ticket items that will be very useful to comply with the requirements of the country’s new defense strategy.
The military official was referring to the Comprehensive Archipelagic Defense Concept (CADC), the central government’s new strategy designed to protect the whole of the country’s exclusive economic zone.
“We need ships so that we have an effective presence in the WPS because the name of the game is presence. Whoever is there in the WPS, they control the area,”
“So, we need additional ships and platforms for maritime patrol, including aircrafts,” he added, emphasizing the need for them to fix its bases so there would be platforms for the new vessels that are coming in.
The WPS is Manila’s name for South China Sea waters that lie within its exclusive economic zone.
Last month, Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro said the Philippines has started soliciting offers as it is keen to procure about 40 multi-role jets to keep its territory free from intruders.
www.navalnews.com
