Teodoro urges future military leaders to reject defeatism

Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Gilberto C. Teodoro Jr. on Saturday underscored the Philippine Military Academy’s (PMA) vital role in producing academically competent graduates and mission-ready military leaders capable of addressing the country’s evolving security challenges.

Speaking at the PMA’s 128th founding anniversary, Teodoro described the institution as a “unique, special-purpose academy” tasked with providing world-class education while preparing cadets to become deployable junior officers of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and, in the future, the Philippine Coast Guard.

Amid an increasingly volatile global security environment, Teodoro urged future military leaders to pursue more ambitious defense and national security plans.

“We need to be ambitious in order to have the right motivation to deal with these challenges, and to defeat defeatism, and to show an example to the public that we are ready, willing, and able to stand firmly and proudly for the core values of the Republic of the Philippines,” he said.

“The Philippines cannot afford to be laid-back and non-ambitious and conservative, particularly when its territory and sovereignty are concerned,” he added. “When national security is concerned, ambitious plans needed to have been laid down on the ground years ago. But we cannot recoup the past, we can only make the present faster.”

Teodoro said emerging technologies, new operational domains, and the growing weaponization of information require the PMA and the AFP to continuously adapt to changing security conditions.

He stressed the need to develop an educational and military ecosystem that prepares leaders to anticipate, respond to, and manage future threats while leading organizations through rapid change.

“We are in a race and a struggle to increase our capabilities and increase our footprint, and increase our ability to enforce our laws within a vast maritime domain that we have and we are fighting for,” Teodoro said.

Reaffirming the AFP’s mandate to protect the country’s sovereignty, territorial integrity, and national dignity, the defense chief emphasized the importance of building a professional, knowledgeable, and highly trained armed force.

He urged cadets and Academy leaders to remain focused on their responsibilities and maintain a clear understanding of their mission and purpose. He also distinguished education from training, explaining that education builds knowledge while training develops the skills needed for effective military service.

At the conclusion of the ceremony, Teodoro paid tribute to PMA alumni, faculty members, civilian personnel, public and private partners, and generations of military leaders who have contributed to the Academy’s legacy of service and excellence.

Together with PMA Superintendent Lt. Gen. Michael Logic, Teodoro also conferred recognition on distinguished officers and personnel, as well as individual and institutional partners of the Academy.