Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. vowed to enhance the capabilities of the country’s Integrated Air Defense System (IADS).

Teodoro reaffirmed this commitment during his visit to Basa Air Base in Floridablanca, Pampanga, on Wednesday. The Defense chief also engaged in a dialogue with the troops from the Philippine Air Force (PAF)’s 5th Fighter Wing.

During the dialogue, Teodoro expressed gratitude to the pilots for their dedication to duty despite confronting the inherent risks of their profession.

He then acknowledged the immense responsibility, skills, and courage required to fly and fight to defend our skies.

“What we expect from you is to train hard, fly hard, and fight hard. That’s it. The rest are things for us to do. To make sure that you are able to train hard, to fight hard, and to fly hard... We cannot afford any slowdown in operational tempo,” Teodoro told the pilots.

He also vowed to strengthen air domain awareness in joint operations within the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and ensure seamless interoperability in combined operations with allied and like-minded nations.

An integrated air defense system is defined by military experts as the combination of structure, equipment, personnel, procedures, and weapons designed to counter enemy aircraft or missile incursions into a nation’s airspace.

PAF spokesperson Col. Ma. Consuelo Castillo earlier said the morale of the fighter pilots remains intact despite the recent ill-fated incident involving their fellow FA-50 aircraft pilots.

On 11 March, two pilots were killed in an aircraft mishap during a tactical night operation in support of the Philippine Army’s ground mission against communist rebels in a mountainous terrain in Bukidnon province.

“The display of heroism of our pilots whom we lost in that flight only served to inspire our current pilots to do even better in their flight operations. The heroism, selfless service, and dedication they showcased, despite it being a very difficult mission, serves to inspire our current pilots to do even better in their flight operations,” Castillo told the Daily Tribune.