AFP boosting cyber military defense as AJEX DAGITPA wraps up

The Armed Forces of the Philippines emphasized the need to boost the country's cyber military defense as it formally concluded the multi-service military exercises on Friday at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City.

Some 1,500 personnel from the Philippine Army, Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps along with Philippine Coast Guard personnel have participated in the 12-day AFP Joint Exercise Dagat-Langit-Lupa (AJEX DAGIT-PA), from 6 to 17 November.

Participants were able to jointly train in air detection and interception, maritime security operations, amphibious operations, combined arms and littoral live, unconventional warfare encounters, and terrorism and cyber defense drills.

In an interview with reporters, Col. Michael Logico, AJEX DAGIT-PA spokesperson, said the AFP is now working on building its own cyber defense capabilities.

"Cyber defense exercises are going to be a common fixture in joint exercises like on this scale. We recognize that the cyber domain is a crucial area where the AFP has to pay attention to because all of the other kinetic capabilities are also hinged on the cyber domain," he added.

Logico said the AFP also wants to pay attention to the non-physical domains.

"We'd like to emphasize our domains are both physical and non-physical, so when we talk about the physical domains, we're talking about the ground, air, and maritime domains. What is often not talked about is the non-physical domains, like the cyber domain and information subsystems," he noted.

Logico said the AFP likewise wants to boost the capabilities of the soldiers as cyber warriors to further improve the protection of the country against cyber security threats.

"We are paying very close attention to that and we are also building our capabilities to strengthen our cyber defenses," he said.

"More than the value of strengthening our cyber defenses is training our own people to be security-conscious and recognizing the threat when we see it," he added.

Meanwhile, MGen. Marvin Licudine, AFP AJEX DAGITPA director, said this year's joint military exercises have "significantly enhanced the interoperability" of the major service branches of the military organization.

"The lessons learned here will serve as a foundation for continuous improvement dedicated to ensuring that we stay one step ahead of potential adversities," he added.

Licudine pointed out that field training exercises likewise enhanced the AFP's major service components within the conventional and special operations forces in joint operations.

AFP Public Affairs chief, Col. Xerxes Trinidad, said the military exercise focused on strengthening interoperability among the various branches of the AFP, ensuring seamless coordination in multi-domain operations.

"The collaboration among the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Special Operations forces has reached new heights, ensuring a seamless joint response to various scenarios," Trinidad underscored.

Training such as AJEX DAGITPA further capacitate our members. AJEX has been instrumental in honing the skills of our personnel, ensuring that they are well-equipped to respond effectively to any threat, be it combat or humanitarian in nature," he added.

Moreover, Defense Undersecretary Ireneo Espino, representing Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. during the ceremony, lauded the AFP for taking another step in enhancing the country's external defense operations and capabilities by conducting such exercises.

"Now more than ever, we are keen on significantly improving our country's capabilities to protect our interests, our sovereignty, our country amid a complex security landscape," he said.

Espino noted that the successful conclusion of AJEX DAGITPA 2023 highlights the AFP's dedication to excellence and readiness to safeguard the country.

"While we welcome the increasing tempo of our engagements with our foreign counterparts, strengthening interoperability and working collectively to promote a rules-based international order in ensuring the integrity of our own facilities and capabilities falls on our shoulders," he continued.