By Priam F. Nepomuceno
MANILA – The Strategic Command, one of the newest units of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), is playing a major role in beefing up the country’s deterrence capabilities, the Department of National Defense (DND) said on Tuesday.
“At the first anniversary celebration of the AFP Strategic Command at Clark Air Base, Secretary (Gilberto) Teodoro (Jr.) stressed the importance of preserving the gains in the country’s security and stability, increasing the military’s footprint across the archipelago, and building a credible and sustainable deterrent posture, pursuant to the implementation of the Comprehensive Archipelagic Defense Concept,” the DND said in a statement.
The unit’s anniversary theme is “Strengthening the AFP’s Strategic Shield Across All Domains”.
The Strategic Command was also hailed for doing its part in protecting the country’s maritime domain.
Activated on Oct. 27 last year, the AFP Strategic Command integrates intelligence, operations and civil-military functions and oversees joint exercises and activities with like-minded partners.
“This integrated approach enhances interoperability and enables faster, more coordinated decision-making across security domains, strengthening the AFP’s ability to proactively deter emerging and evolving threats,” the DND said.
*AFP corrects Chinese narrative on USS Charleston*
As this developed, the AFP, in a separate statement Tuesday, corrected the recent statement issued by the Chinese’s People’s Liberation Army regarding the passage of U.S. Navy vessel USS Charleston in the South China Sea earlier.
“USS Charleston did not trespass into ‘Chinese territory.’ Freedom of navigation operations conducted by our treaty ally and other like-minded nations in international waters are fully consistent with UNCLOS (United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea) wherein all nations enjoy freedom of navigation and overflight in the high seas and exclusive economic zones,” Navy reservist Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad, AFP spokesperson for the WPS, said in a message to the Philippine News Agency.
He also added that no single nation has the authority to “require prior permission for lawful transit through international waters.”
Earlier, the Chinese military protested the passage of the USS Charleston near Escoda (also known as Sabina) Shoal in the WPS, saying that it had entered the area without its permission.
“On the other hand, the Chinese Communist Party’s claim of ‘indisputable sovereignty’ over the Spratly Islands and their adjacent waters has no legal basis. This claim has been invalidated by the 2016 Arbitral Tribunal. Rather than calling for lawful operations to cease, it is their illegal presence, coercive and aggressive actions and deceptive messaging that should stop,” Trinidad said.
He also added that the AFP remains steadfast in its commitment to protecting Philippine national sovereignty, sovereign rights and the country’s maritime jurisdiction in the WPS while supporting open, peaceful and lawful maritime access for all nations under international law. (PNA)
