Developing a Credible Defense Posture for the Philippines: From the Aquino to the Duterte Administrations

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\u27s territorial expansion in the South China Sea. This move entailed the upgrading of the Philippine Navy\u27s and the Philippine Air Force\u27s 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\u27s territorial defense capabilities. Eventually, Duterte decided to continue the Aquino administration\u27s build-up as a hedge, in case he should find it imperative in the future to pursue his predecessor\u27s policy of challenging China\u27s expansive claim in the South China Sea. The article concludes that like Aquino\u27s security policy, the Duterte administration is also committed to building up the Philippine military\u27s credible defense posture—in light of the growing uncertainties in the region marked by China\u27s emergence and the perceived retreat of the United States as a Pacific power. © 2017 Policy Studies Organization. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc