Between highlands and the high sea: What awaits the next Philippine military chief?

Nafarrete’s assumption speech emphasised (Opens in new window) operational readiness across all domains, signalling that he would address the military’s historical “sea blindness (Opens in new window)”. As a former commander of the land forces, he is well-positioned to spearhead this military culture reset given the service’s prominence but also the urgency for the army to think beyond internal security.

Going further, as Crisis Group previously recommended (Opens in new window), specific priorities must take centre stage which the incoming chief of staff should embrace and push to further boost.

First, as Nafarrete recognised (Opens in new window) during his tenure as army chief, the armed forces should double down on developing asymmetric capabilities. Drones, for example, are far easier and cheaper to make and are a natural choice for the Philippines.

Second, the Philippine army remains a central player in defending the sea from land, which would require a heightened focus on coastal defence.

Third, the incoming commander must integrate various assets into a cohesive “joint force”. This would also require a stronger multi-domain command-and-control infrastructure beyond (Opens in new window) procuring hardware.

Fourth, Nafarrete will also inherit large-scale defence exercises such as the annual Balikatan alongside other drills and maritime patrols with US, Australian, and Japanese counterparts. To strengthen interoperability with allies and partners, but also between the different Philippine military branches, he needs to expand the scope of the drills. This could happen, for example, by conducting exercises around all Philippine maritime straits or simulating supply operations under critical conditions. These deterrence efforts must also be reinforced by diplomacy and open channels for crisis communication with Beijing.

Lastly, for all focus on external defence, domestic politics cannot be entirely ignored. Philippine civil-military relations were tested in recent months as retired military officials sympathetic (Opens in new window) to Vice President Sara Duterte-Carpio urged the armed forces’ leadership to withdraw support from the Marcos administration at a time when the Marcos-Duterte feud (Opens in new window) intensified. Nafarrete will need to safeguard the military’s neutrality and prevent it from becoming embroiled in partisan feuding, especially considering presidential elections in 2028.