The Philippine Department of National Defense recently announced the adoption of a new defense concept, the Comprehensive Archipelagic Defense Concept (CADC). This is a welcome development for those who have been advocating for a paradigm shift in the country’s defense strategy. While conversations about the shift from an internal security focus to a more outward … Read more
Amid swelling seaborne trade, rising maritime crime, and intensifying territorial disputes, coast guards are increasingly central to Asian maritime security. However, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) has long lagged behind its neighbors. A 2016 estimate put the PCG’s total tonnage at just 11 percent of the China Coast Guard (CCG), even though the two coast … Read more
Earlier this week, a senior official of the Philippine Navy announced that it had deployed a warship off the waters of Palawan Island, its westernmost island, in order to “protect its maritime interests,” at a time of frequent stand-offs with Chinese vessels in the South China Sea. In a statement issued on Wednesday, Commodore Edward … Read more
The Philippines armed forces will work to ensure that the country has “unimpeded” access to the natural resources in its portions of the South China Sea, Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro said earlier this week, in announcing a shift to a new and more robust defense policy. In a policy speech at the Manila Overseas Press … Read more
The Philippines and the United States yesterday began a two-day joint maritime and air patrol in the South China Sea, after a year marked by a string of dangerous incidents in contested waters. The maritime exercises between Manila and Washington are the second to take place in less than two months, after a three-day joint … Read more
Advertisement Over the past two years, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) has played a frontline role in Manila’s pursuit of maritime safety and security. From exposing China’s bad behavior at sea and enforcing the 2016 Arbitral Award to introducing administrative reforms that led to the hiring of thousands of additional personnel to guard the country’s … Read more
In this photo provided by the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), a Chinese Coast Guard ship sails near a PCG vessel during its patrol at Bajo de Masinloc, 124 nautical miles west of Zambales province, northwestern Philippines on March 2, 2022. Credit: Philippine Coast Guard via AP Advertisement Over the past year, the Philippines has been … Read more
Advertisement Southeast Asia’s economic progress largely depends on a network of sea lines of communication (SLOCs) protected by an international legal system, largely codified in the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and other maritime conventions, as well as customary international law. For this reason, the Association of Southeast Asian … Read more