Philippines wants to buy 2 submarines, reveals joint operations with US in the East Sea

The Philippines is looking to buy more weapons to modernize its arsenal, including additional BrahMos missiles from India and at least two submarines.

The Philippines is in the third phase of its military modernization program, with an estimated $35 billion to boost its military strength over the next decade, Reuters reported on February 12.

US destroyer USS Dewey and Philippine navy ship BRP Gregorio del Pilar in the South China Sea on October 21, 2023

"Having at least two submarines is a dream of ours. We are an archipelago. So we have to have this kind of capability because it is really difficult to defend the entire archipelago without submarines," Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief of Staff General Romeo Saturnino Brawner Jr. said today while addressing top businessmen.

In 2022, the Philippines purchased a $375 million BrahMos anti-ship missile system from India and has ordered more. “We will get more of these (systems) this year and in the coming years,” Mr. Brawner said.

The Philippines has previously said it is eyeing medium-range missiles and at least 40 fighter jets to boost its defenses.

This year, the Philippine Navy expects to receive at least two frigates from South Korea, which has upgraded its relations with the Philippines to a strategic partnership.

Mr. Brawner also said Manila is trying to bring South Korea into the Task Force, a multilateral group that includes Australia, Japan, the Philippines and the United States.

The Philippines is beefing up its military amid tensions between Manila and Beijing in the South China Sea. Brawner said the Philippine military has seen an increase in troubling Chinese behavior in the South China Sea, including a daily increase in the number of Chinese vessels in the West Philippine Sea. The West Philippine Sea is the name Manila uses to refer to the waters in the South China Sea that it considers to be within its exclusive economic zone.

A “joint maritime operation” with the US and Canada in “Manila’s waters” in the South China Sea is also underway, Brawner said, adding that Manila also wants to conduct similar joint operations with France, Italy and the UK.

The Chinese Embassy in Manila did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Brawner's remarks, according to Reuters.

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