Philippines to acquire submarines

'China continues harassments in Philippine territories’

MANILA – The Philippines plans to acquire submarines for its navy and to build  domestic assembly and construction of other naval assets as China continues its harassment of civilian and Coast Guard vessels in the South China Sea and Filipino territories.

The ballistic missile submarine USS Maine surfaces to receive a vertical replenishment from Marines assigned to the III Marine Expeditionary Force in the Philippine Sea. Vertical replenishments enable Navy vessels to quickly receive critical resources without disrupting maritime security operations. 

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos bares plans to acquire submarines for the Navy as part of the modernization program called Horizon 3 of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. (Photo by Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Emily Weiss / Caption by The Mindanao Examiner)

Territorial disputes in the South China Sea have fueled military expenditure by Association of Southeast Asian Nations members. The Philippines is no exception and is involved in a conflict over the Spratly Islands with Brunei, China, Malaysia, Vietnam, and Taiwan. Chinese intrusions into the Philippines’ waters will also drive naval modernization initiatives.

 

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr himself has said the plan to acquire submarines for the Philippine Navy is not off the table, adding there are offers from different countries not only for submarine acquisition, but also other military requirements.

“There is a plan. But it’s still being developed dahil ang commitment para mag-operate ng submarine is not a small commitment. It is a very large commitment because of the training that is involved, the equipment that is involved and the operational requirements that are involved are quite significant,” said Marcos, who was a former member of the elite Army Scout Ranger.

Marcos was also present recently during the 125th anniversary celebration of the Philippine Navy in the capital city of Manila where he said that “multiple countries made an offer not only for completely-built submarines, but also to build them here in the Philippines.”

He stressed the importance of the offer particularly for the country’s defense and local job generation. “If they are built here and we can actually build submarines here and provide those submarines to other countries then that’s another source of jobs, and of income and increased capability for our Navy,” he said in his speech at the Philippine Navy headquarters.

“So, it is still part of our plan. But right now, we are in the middle of developing mostly our anti-submarine capabilities. So, ‘yun ang uunahin natin and then hopefully when the time comes and the conditions are agreeable then we might be able to acquire those submarines,” he added.

Last year, the Department of National Defense said that procurement of submarines for the Philippine Navy was not a priority, stressing that it was focusing on the implementation of modernization contracts signed by the previous Duterte administration.

It said that although submarines were on its wish list for the ambitious Horizon 3, the Department of Defense is prioritizing the implementation of such contracts, cognizant of the limitations in the resources available to the government.

Horizon 3 is the modernization program of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. Against the backdrop, the Philippines defense market is set to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.5%, with the projected cumulative defense spending reaching $26 billion in 2028, said forecasts GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.

GlobalData’s latest report, “The Philippines Defense Market Size and Trends, Budget Allocation, Regulations, Key Acquisitions, Competitive Landscape and Forecast, 2023-28,” reveals that the territorial disputes in the South China Sea have raised serious concerns among the Southeast Asian nations, including the Philippines. As a result, the country’s acquisition expenditure is expected to maintain an average annual growth rate of more than 9% between 2024 and 2028.

 

It said Philippines defense market budget is worth $4.3 billion in 2023 and is expected to increase at a Compound Annual Debt Rate of more than 6% during 2024-2028. Territorial claims in the South China Sea and the increasing strength and assertiveness of China’s armed forces have spurred the Philippine government to enhance its military capabilities. (Mindanao Examiner)