Armed Forces of the Philippines

Armed Forces of the Philippines
Sandatahang Lakas ng Pilipinas
Seal of the Philippine Armed Forces
Flag of the Armed Forces of the Philippines
Motto"Protecting the People, Securing the State"
FoundedDecember 21, 1935; 88 years ago (1935-12-21)
Service branches
HeadquartersCamp Aguinaldo, Quezon City, Philippines
Websitewww.afp.mil.ph/index.php
Leadership
Commander-in-Chief President Bongbong Marcos
Secretary of National Defense Gilberto C. Teodoro
Chief of Staff GEN Romeo S. Brawner Jr., PA
Vice Chief of Staff LTGEN Arthur M. Cordura, PAF
The Deputy Chief of Staff LTGEN Charlton Sean M. Gaerlan, PN(M)
Armed Forces of the Philippines Sergeant MajorFCMS Feliciano M. Lazo, PA
Personnel
Military age18–56 years old
ConscriptionOptional through Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC), Basic Citizen's Military Training (BCMT) or voluntary service
Active personnel150,000 (2024)[1]
Reserve personnel1,500,000 Ready Reserves
(2024)[2]
Expenditure
Budget₱285.690 billion
US$ 5.10 billion (2024)[3][4][5]
Percent of GDP0.98% (2024)
Industry
Domestic suppliers
List
Related articles
HistoryMilitary history of the Philippines
List of wars involving the Philippines
List of conflicts in the Philippines
List of engagements
RanksMilitary ranks of the Philippines
Cadet rank in the Philippines
AFP foreign supplier countries (blue), including European Union members (light blue)

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) (Filipino: Sandatahang Lakas ng Pilipinas) are the military forces of the Philippines. It consists of three main service branches; the Army, the Air Force, and the Navy (including the Marine Corps). The President of the Philippines is the Commander-in-Chief of the AFP and forms military policy with the Department of National Defense, an executive department acting as the principal organ by which military policy is carried out, while the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines serves as the overall commander and the highest-ranking officer in the AFP.

Founded under the National Defense Act of 1935, while tracing its roots to the Philippine Revolutionary Army, the AFP has played an integral part in the country's history. The AFP has also been involved in various conflicts, such as combatting rebellion against the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and its attached organizations, the New People's Army (NPA) and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDF), and operations against local Islamic terrorists in Mindanao. The AFP has also been part of various peacekeeping operations around the world, as part of its contribution to the United Nations.[6] At present, military service is entirely voluntary.[7]

As a result of the diminished number of active communist rebels and jihadist groups in the 2020s, the AFP has been shifting its primary focus from handling internal threats such as insurgency and local terrorism to defending the Philippine territory from external threats.[8]

  1. ^ Romero, Alexis; Tupas, Emmanuel. "Marcos appoints Brawner as AFP chief". Philstar.com.
  2. ^ "Philippine military revamping reserve force amid rising regional tensions". November 4, 2023.
  3. ^ "DND Budget GAA 2024" (PDF). www.dbm.gov.ph.
  4. ^ "RAFMP GAA 2024" (PDF). www.dbm.gov.ph.
  5. ^ "UA GAA 2024" (PDF). www.dbm.gov.ph.
  6. ^ "PBBM cited by UN in ASEAN meet on his advocacy on youth, peace, security". PIA.
  7. ^ Central Intelligence Agency. "The World Factbook: Military Service Age and Obligation". Archived from the original on June 13, 2007. Retrieved February 28, 2016. 17–23 years of age (officers 20–24) for voluntary military service; no conscription; applicants must be single male or female Philippine citizens with either 72 college credit hours (enlisted) or a baccalaureate degree (officers) (2013)
  8. ^ "Internal security gains allow AFP to shift to external defense".