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Developing a Credible Defense Posture for the Philippines: From the Aquino to the Duterte Administrations
Author(s) -
De Castro Renato Cruz
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
asian politics and policy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.193
H-Index - 12
eISSN - 1943-0787
pISSN - 1943-0779
DOI - 10.1111/aspp.12353
Subject(s) - navy , administration (probate law) , china , interdiction , political science , alliance , expansive , public administration , international trade , law , business , engineering , compressive strength , materials science , aerospace engineering , composite material
Since 2011, the Aquino administration has bolstered the development of a credible external defense posture of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) in the face of China's territorial expansion in the South China Sea. This move entailed the upgrading of the Philippine Navy's and the Philippine Air Force's capabilities for maritime domain awareness and naval interdiction. The Aquino administration also anchored its strategic agenda on the 60‐year‐old Philippines‐U.S. alliance by signing the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA). The election of President Rodrigo Roa Duterte as the 16th president of the Philippines, however, generated uncertainties on whether or not he will continue building the AFP's territorial defense capabilities. Eventually, Duterte decided to continue the Aquino administration's build‐up as a hedge, in case he should find it imperative in the future to pursue his predecessor's policy of challenging China's expansive claim in the South China Sea. The article concludes that like Aquino's security policy, the Duterte administration is also committed to building up the Philippine military's credible defense posture—in light of the growing uncertainties in the region marked by China's emergence and the perceived retreat of the United States as a Pacific power.