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☆ Philippines to recruit 'cyber warriors' for online defence
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief of Staff General Romeo Brawner Jr. walks past honor guards during the arrival ceremony at Western Command, Puerto Princesa, Palawan, Philippines, August 10, 2023. Several government agencies, including the lower house of Congress, have recently reported cyber attacks and the chief of the armed forces said some of the almost daily attacks on the military came from abroad. "Instead of recruiting soldiers for infantry battalions, this time we will recruit cyber warriors," General Romeo Brawner told reporters. "There is this general realisation that this new breed of warriors does not have to be muscle strong." Cyber defence training was part joint exercises this year with U.S. forces, Brawner said, highlighting the growing importance of cyber resilience in defence strategy.

Persons: Romeo Brawner Jr, Eloisa Lopez, Romeo Brawner, Brawner, Karen Lema, Robert Birsel Organizations: Forces, Western Command, REUTERS, Rights, coastguard, U.S, China Telecom, Thomson Locations: Philippines, Puerto Princesa, Palawan, Rights MANILA, Philippine, China, South China, Japan

☆ Philippines sees no current, future engagements with Taiwan - military chief
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief of Staff General Romeo Brawner Jr. speaks to the media during a press briefing at Western Command in Puerto Princesa, Palawan, Philippines, August 10, 2023. REUTERS/Eloisa Lopez/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsMANILA, Oct 19 (Reuters) - The Philippines has no military engagements with Taiwan and it does not see future engagements with the democratically-governed island, Manila's armed forces chief Romeo Brawner told foreign correspondents on Thursday. The Philippines sees risk of conflict over Taiwan as a major concern amid geopolitical rivalry between China and the United States. The military is ready for any eventuality, though it has not monitored reports on any intended attacks on Taiwan in particular, Brawner said. The Philippines adheres to the "One China Policy", and also has ties with Taipei, with its Manila Economic and Cultural Office in Taiwan serving as a de facto embassy.

Persons: Romeo Brawner, Eloisa Lopez, Brawner, Karen Lema, Neil Jerome Morales Organizations: Forces, Western Command, REUTERS, Rights, Philippine, Office, Thomson Locations: Philippines, Puerto Princesa, Palawan, Rights MANILA, Taiwan, China, United States, Mavulis, Taipei, Manila

☆ Philippines, US navies conduct joint sail in South China Sea
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MANILA, Sept 4 (Reuters) - Naval vessels from the Philippines and United States conducted a joint sail through parts of the South China Sea lying within the Southeast Asian nation's exclusive economic zone, Manila's military said on Monday. It was the first time the Philippines and Washington have carried out a joint sail in waters west of Palawan island, the Armed Forces of the Philippines' Western Command said. The display of cooperation between the US and Philippines comes at a time of heightened tension between Manila and Beijing, which claims much of the South China Sea. China has built militarised, manmade islands in the South China Sea and its claim of historic sovereignty overlaps with the exclusive economic zones of the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Indonesia. The Philippines won an international arbitration award against China in 2016, after a tribunal said Beijing's sweeping claim to sovereignty over most of the South China Sea had no legal basis.

Persons: Rizal, US Navy Alrleigh Burke, Ralph Johnson, Karen Lema, Simon Cameron, Moore Organizations: Armed Forces, Western Command, US Navy, Philippine Navy, Pacific Navy, The Philippines, China, South China, Thomson Locations: MANILA, Philippines, United States, South China, Washington, Palawan, Manila, Beijing, Philippine, China, South, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia

☆ China's 'aggressive behaviour' in South China Sea must be challenged - U.S. Navy official
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Acquire Licensing Rights Read moreMANILA, Aug 27 (Reuters) - China's "aggressive behaviour" in the South China Sea, including the use of water canon by its coast guard against a Philippine vessel, must be challenged and checked, the commander of the U.S. Navy's Seventh Fleet said on Sunday. It operates over an area of 124 million square km (48 million square miles) from bases in Japan, South Korea and Singapore. On Saturday, Thomas said he joined a flight from Manila "to go out and check out the South China Sea". The Philippines won an international arbitration award against China in 2016, after a tribunal said Beijing's sweeping claim to sovereignty over most of the South China Sea had no legal basis. China has built militarised, manmade islands in the South China Sea and its claim of historic sovereignty overlaps with the exclusive economic zones of the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Indonesia.

Persons: Arleigh Burke, Karl Thomas, they're, you've, Thomas, There's, Alberto Carlos, Karen Lema, Nick Macfie Organizations: People's Liberation Army, Navy, U.S . Navy, Communication, Navy's, Fleet, Seventh Fleet, Reuters, U.S, Philippine Western Command, Philippines, China, South China, Thomson Locations: South, MANILA, South China, Philippine, Philippines, U.S, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Manila, Beijing, China, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia

☆ Philippines says refurbishing grounded ship an option to strengthen hold on disputed shoal
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-11 | by ( Karen Lema | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] A Philippine flag flutters onboard the BRP Sierra Madre, a marooned transport ship which Philippine Marines used as a military outpost, in the disputed Second Thomas Shoal, part of the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea March 30, 2014. REUTERS/Erik De Castro/File PhotoPUERTO PRINCESA, Philippines Aug 11 (Reuters) - The Philippines is looking at several options to strengthen its hold on the disputed Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea including refurbishing a grounded and rusting warship it uses as a military outpost, a move that would likely anger Beijing. The Philippines intentionally grounded the World War Two-era warship Sierra Madre in 1999 as part of its sovereignty claim to the Second Thomas Shoal, which lies within its exclusive economic zone, and rotates a handful of troops through the ship. China has urged the Philippines to fulfill a "promise" to tow away the grounded vessel, but Manila denied striking any agreement to abandon the shoal, which it calls Ayungin. The Philippines won an international arbitration award in 2016 against China's South China Sea sovereignty claim, after a tribunal ruled Beijing's sweeping claim had no legal basis, including at the Second Thomas Shoal.

Persons: Thomas Shoal, Erik De Castro, Alberto Carlos, Romeo Brawner, Thomas, Ayungin, Carlos, Ramsey Gutierrez, Gutierrez, Karen Lema, Michael Perry Organizations: flutters, BRP, BRP Sierra Madre, Philippine Marines, REUTERS, Philippine Western Command, Chinese Coast Guard, Philippines, China's, Thomson Locations: BRP Sierra, Spratly, South, PRINCESA, Philippines, South China, Beijing, Sierra, China, Manila, Japan, France, South Korea, United States, Philippine, Thomas Shoal . China, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia

☆ Philippines raises alarm over increase in Chinese boats in disputed sea
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MANILA, July 7 (Reuters) - The Philippine military on Friday reported an "alarming" increase in the number of Chinese fishing vessels in disputed waters in the South China Sea, which it said threatens the security of the oil and gas-rich Reed Bank. "China must cease its swarming of vessels to respect our sovereign rights," Ariel Coloma, spokesperson for the Western Command, said in a statement. The Philippines won a landmark arbitration case in 2016 that invalidated China's expansive claims in the South China Sea, where about $3 trillion worth of sea-borne goods pass every year. U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told his Philippine counterpart, Gilbert Teodoro, on Thursday that the U.S. commitment to the defense of its ally was "ironclad," including in the South China Sea, according to a U.S. summary of the call. The Philippines on Wednesday accused the China Coast Guard of harassment, obstruction and "dangerous manoeuvres" against its vessels, after another incident near a strategic feature of the South China Sea.

Persons: Ariel Coloma, WESCOM, Lloyd Austin, Gilbert Teodoro, Karen Lema, Robert Birsel Organizations: Philippine, Reed Bank, Western Command, The Philippines, PXP Energy Corp, China Coast Guard, U.S . Defense, Thomson Locations: MANILA, South China, China, Manila, States, Philippine, Sabina, Philippines

☆ Ukraine's attacks on Russian commanders have the US Army worried about its own 'fat and ponderous' command posts
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-06 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Ukraine's military has been using its long-range weapons to attack Russian command posts. A command post set up at the National Training Center at Fort Irwin in California during a training exercise. A destroyed Russian army command post pictured on March 13, 2022. One is to move command posts further from the lines and fortify them against bombardment or special-forces raids. Virtual reality would enable command posts to remain in secure locations far from the front.

Persons: —, Scott Woodward, James Geelen, Michael Peck Organizations: Army, Service, Command, US Army, National Training Center, Fort, GPS, CPs, Arms Army, Milford Beagle, US, Britain's Royal United Services Institute, Ukrainian Armed Forces, US Army CPs, Colorado . US Army, James Geelen Command, Defense, Foreign Policy, Twitter, LinkedIn Locations: Ukraine, Russian, Fort Irwin, California, Chornobaivka, Ukrainian, Kherson, Gen, Fort Leavenworth in Kansas, China, Taiwan, Russia, Fort Carson, Colorado, Forbes

☆ Kamala Harris says U.S. will defend Philippines in South China Sea
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

PUERTO PRINCESA, Philippines — Vice President Kamala Harris called on countries Tuesday to stand up for territorial integrity and freedom of navigation in the South China Sea, which has been challenged by China, and said Washington would press an international campaign against “irresponsible behavior” in the disputed waters. Haiyun Jiang / APCiting the profound stakes for America and the international community in the region, particularly in the busy South China Sea, Harris called for a broad effort to fight for unimpeded commerce and freedom of navigation and overflight in the disputed waters. Haiyun Jiang / AFP - Getty ImagesIn Palawan’s main city of Puerto Princesa, Harris visited a small fishing community and discussed with impoverished villagers the impact of illegal fishing on their livelihood. China has warned Washington not to meddle in what it calls an Asian dispute and has said that U.S. Navy and Air Force patrols and combat exercises in the disputed waters are militarizing the South China Sea. In July, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken called on China to comply with a 2016 arbitration ruling that invalidated Beijing’s vast territorial claims on historical grounds in the South China Sea.

☆ Chinese coast guard seizes rocket debris from Philippine navy
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-21 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

MANILA, Philippines — The Chinese coast guard forcibly seized floating debris the Philippine navy was towing to its island in another confrontation in the disputed South China Sea, a Philippine military commander said Monday. The debris appeared to be from a Chinese rocket launch. The Chinese coast guard vessel then deployed an inflatable boat with personnel who “forcefully retrieved said floating object by cutting the towing line attached to the” Filipino sailors’ rubber boat. Maj. Cherryl Tindog, spokesperson of the military’s Western Command, said the floating metal object appeared similar to a number of other pieces of Chinese rocket debris recently found in Philippine waters. She added the Filipino sailors did not fight the seizure.

☆ Philippine military says China 'forcefully retrieved' floating object in South China Sea
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MANILA, Nov 21 (Reuters) - A Chinese coast guard ship on Sunday "forcefully retrieved" a floating object being towed by a Philippine vessel in the South China Sea by cutting a line attaching it to the boat, a Philippine military commander said. The team tied the object to their boat and started towing it before the Chinese coast guard vessel approached and blocked their course twice before deploying an inflatable boat that cut the tow line, then took the object back to the coast guard ship, the statement said. The statement did not say what the object was or whether the Chinese coast guard vessel indicated why it took the object. Harris, whose three-day trip includes a stop on Palawan, an island on the edge of the South China Sea, will also reaffirm Washington's support for a 2016 international tribunal ruling that invalidated China's expansive claim in the disputed waterway, a senior U.S. official said..China claims most of the South China Sea, a strategic waterway through which billions of dollars of goods passes each year. Thitu, one of nine features the Philippines occupies in the Spratly archipelago, is the Southeast Asian country's strategically most important outpost in the South China Sea.

☆ Analysis: Xi's new generals face tough military challenges post-congress
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-16 | by ( Greg Torode | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

Now come the tricky next steps for his Central Military Commission: implementing sweeping changes to its leadership, which commands China's two million-strong People's Liberation Army, potentially tightening Xi's grip over the military and its modernisation. Among those expected to step down are the body's vice chairmen, Generals Xu Qiliang and Zhang Youxia, both 72. Diplomatic challenges are also mounting, as China's military modernisation confronts the traditional U.S. strategic dominance in East Asia. Who is chosen could shed light on Xi's military priorities. "There is no shortage of senior military officers who internally parrot Xi's 'fight and win' mantra, but the conundrum for the PLA is the lack of operational experience," said Alexander Neill, a private military analyst.

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