President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said on Thursday that the Philippines is “not going into war” in wanting to beef up its military’s capability against external threats.

Addressing troops in the Army’s 10th Infantry Division in Mawab, Davao de Oro, Marcos said the government is just providing the military with the necessary resources, training, and equipment amid an “external threat” to improve its operations.

“I am sure that all of you (know) now that the internal threat has been reduced. We now have to also think about the external threat and that again is a different strategy that we will have to employ,” Marcos said.

“But we in the civilian government and (...) the military commanders are doing all that we can to make sure that our men and women (in the military) are completely capacitated,” Marcos added.

While Marcos reiterated that he does not want the Philippines to have a war with anyone, the Chief Executive said the country is just trying to improve its defenses against external threats.

Marcos did not specify the external danger the country was facing but the Philippines has been at the front lines of China’s maritime expansion in the West Philippine Sea.

China has made its claim stronger, even though the Philippines has politely objected to its actions.

“We now have to also think about the external threat and that again is a different strategy that we will have to employ,” Marcos said.

The President also told the troops to keep the peace by telling communist rebels to follow the law again.

Marcos said that everyone involved in the barangay development program needs to work together to keep it going. This includes the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict and all the other parts of the strategy to improve peace and order in the countryside.