New Armed Forces of the Philippines chief Gen. Antonio Nafarrete on Tuesday vowed to strengthen the country's territorial defense capabilities while accelerating the military's modernization to better protect Philippine sovereignty, sovereign rights, and national interests.

In his inaugural speech at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City, Nafarrete said the AFP is at a crucial stage of its transformation.

"Today, the Armed Forces of the Philippines stands at a pivotal point in its transformation. Under my leadership, the AFP's foremost imperative is to strengthen territorial defense and further operationalize the Comprehensive Archipelagic Defense Concept," he said.

Nafarrete said modernization goes beyond acquiring new equipment, stressing that every capability must be backed by trained personnel, sound doctrine, resilient infrastructure, reliable logistics, proper maintenance, and long-term sustainment.

"Modernization is the development of an integrated capability. Every platform must have trained personnel. Every system must have clear doctrine. Every capability must be supported by effective organization, resilient facilities, reliable logistics, proper maintenance, and long-term sustainment," he said.

He also underscored the importance of investing in the military's personnel, saying the AFP's greatest strength lies in its people.

"Our true strength does not only lie in the weapons we wield, the equipment we acquire, or the technology we adopt. Our true strength lies in our personnel," Nafarrete said.

He said human capital development will be at the center of the AFP's modernization efforts, with investments focused on developing soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines, reservists, and civilian personnel.

Nafarrete also assured the public that the AFP will remain professional, disciplined, non-partisan, and faithful to the Constitution.

"We shall respect civilian authority. We shall uphold human rights and international humanitarian law. We shall remain accountable to the Filipino people whom we are sworn to protect, and we shall continue to serve with honor, service, and patriotism," he said.

The new AFP chief likewise pledged to preserve the country's peace gains while continuing to strengthen the armed forces.