The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) will expand its Direct Commission Program to recruit highly skilled professionals in key technical fields as part of efforts to build a more agile, technology-driven military, Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. announced over the weekend.

Teodoro directed the AFP to broaden the program to attract qualified Advance Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) graduates, outstanding enlisted personnel, and experts in critical fields such as cyber operations, artificial intelligence, engineering, aviation, communications, and research and development.

The directive is part of the government’s push to strengthen the military’s human capital and equip the AFP with the specialized expertise needed to address evolving security and defense challenges.

The Department of National Defense (DND) also instructed the AFP to establish merit-based pathways for commissioning exceptional enlisted personnel and to provide reasonable accommodations for qualified persons with disabilities whose expertise can contribute to defense missions.

The military was likewise directed to develop appropriate training and career development programs for personnel entering through these non-traditional pathways, while ensuring that all implementing guidelines remain consistent with existing laws and uphold the AFP’s professional, operational and security standards.

According to the DND, the expanded Direct Commission Program supports the AFP Modernization Program and the Comprehensive Archipelagic Defense Concept by enabling the military to attract, develop and retain specialized talent needed to safeguard national security.

The initiative also aims to enhance the AFP’s ability to respond to increasingly complex security threats while sustaining internal security gains through a more capable and multidisciplinary force.