In a first, New Delhi will be creating the post of defence attaché at its embassy in Manila as security ties between both the countries deepen in the wake of increasing Chinese belligerence that have led India as well as Philippines to tilt more towards the US under the Indo-Pacific policy framework, ABP Live has learnt.
India will soon be sending a ‘Defence Attaché’ for its embassy in Philippines based on a decision that was taken during the last meeting of the Joint Defense Cooperation Committee (JDCC) and Service-to-Service Meeting that was held in New Delhi last month, diplomatic sources told ABP Live.
This comes within a year of the Philippines signing a $375 million deal to purchase the BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles from India for its navy even as it faces an increasingly aggressive China over Beijing’s territorial claims in the South China Sea. The deal was signed in January 2022.
According to the sources, the appointment of a Defence Attaché at the Indian Embassy will not only help in day-to-day security interactions but will also enable greater avenues for defence procurement by both sides. It is planned that a separate defence wing will be set up at the Embassy. It is planned that a separate defence wing will be set up at the Embassy.
The move is expected to further boost the 2006 Philippines-India Agreement Concerning Defense Cooperation and the Philippines-India Defense Engagement Plan for 2023-2025.
Sources said the move will also help in saving time and money as more and more training and joint exercises between the armed forces, particularly both the navies, take place in the coming months.
Full-Time Defence Attaché Will Help In ‘Better Strategic Planning’
According to another source, the posting of a full-time Defence Attaché will also help in “better strategic planning” as India looks to boost its presence in the maritime domain along with the US under the Indo-Pacific strategic framework.
The source also said such a move is “imperative” for New Delhi keeping in mind the ASEAN centrality of the Indo-Pacific policy, something that US President Joe Biden has given much emphasis on. Besides, the Philippines also remains a crucial partner for India under its own Act East policy.
The move to deploy a Defence Attaché in the Philippines was also discussed between both sides during the last India-ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting held in November 2022 in Siem Reap, Cambodia, sources said.
Last February, Indian Navy chief Admiral R Hari Kumar awarded 21 Philippine Navy personnel their interim missile badges and pins as they completed the operator training for the BrahMos cruise missile. The Philippine Marines will use the BrahMos as a shore-based anti-ship missile, with the South China Sea being one of the potential areas for deployment.
Meanwhile, security and defence ties between Manila and Washington is also growing. Last week US Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin met with Carlito Galvez Jr., senior undersecretary and officer in charge of the Department of National Defense of the Philippines in Washington DC, to deepen military-to-military contacts between the two nations.
“We share a vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific…We’ve seen a troubling increase in coercion and dangerous operational behavior, including in the South China Sea. And we remain deeply committed to our alliance obligations,” Austin said last week while welcoming Galvez to the Pentagon.