Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, November 6) — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. urged the Department of National Defense (DND) and the military or Monday to conduct strategic reviews to maximize the deployment of forces and ensure that strategies remain responsive to geopolitical realities.
Marcos spoke at the 67th founding anniversary of the Naval Special Operations Command (NAVSOCOM) in Cavite, where he called for NAVSOCOM’s expertise in Sea, Air and Land or SEAL operations to be utilized to support naval defense and enhance maritime security.
He spoke amid an escalating maritime row between the Philippines and China in the West Philippine Sea. A China Coast Guard vessel collided last month with a Philippine resupply boat near a disputed shoal, with Manila summoning China’s diplomat to lodge its strong protest over what it said were illegal and reckless manuevers by the Chinese ships.
“As we move now from focusing on ensuring internal security for the country, we now have to bolster the country’s external defenses,” he said. “And I exhort the DND and the AFP (Armed forces of the Philippines) to maximize and strategically review the deployment of our forces to ensure that their strategies remain responsive to the current and future geopolitical realities.”
Training and improvement should not just come from within the country, he added, but by working together with foreign nations who share the same values as the Philippines.
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“Together, let us bring stability, peace, and prosperity in our lands and in our seas, all the while standing as a wellspring of hope to our present and our next generations,” he added.
