Secretary of National Defense

Secretary of National Defense
source
Post	Secretary of National Defense
Department	Department of National Defense
Style	The Honorable
Reports to	President of the Philippines
Seat	Camp Aguinaldo
Formation	1939
First	Gen. Basilio Valdes

Secretary of National Defense is the cabinet-level official who heads the Department of National Defense and serves as principal adviser to the President of the Philippines on matters relating to national security and defense policy. The office interfaces with the Armed Forces of the Philippines, the Philippine National Police, and allied partners such as the United States Department of Defense, the ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting, and the United Nations peace operations. Holders coordinate responses to internal and external threats, disaster relief efforts with agencies like the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, and defence procurement involving firms from the United States, Japan, and South Korea.

Role and Responsibilities

The secretary formulates defense policy, oversees force readiness, and directs administration of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, Philippine Coast Guard, and the Philippine National Police during security exigencies. The office manages strategic partnerships with the United States Armed Forces, the Japan Self-Defense Forces, and the Australian Defence Force while participating in multilateral forums such as the ASEAN Regional Forum, the East Asia Summit, and UN Security Council-mandated operations. The secretary supervises procurement, logistics, and modernization programs tied to defense acquisitions from suppliers like Lockheed Martin, Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, and Hanwha. Responsibilities also include coordination with the Department of the Interior and Local Government, the Department of Justice, and the Department of Health during humanitarian crises and counterinsurgency efforts involving groups such as the New People's Army and the Abu Sayyaf Group.

History and Establishment

The office traces origins to prewar institutions established under the Commonwealth of the Philippines and the 1939 creation of the Department of National Defense, succeeding earlier bodies like the War Department (Philippine Commonwealth). During World War II, leaders worked with the Philippine Commonwealth Army, Philippine Constabulary, and allied commands including General Douglas MacArthur’s United States Army Forces in the Far East. Postwar reconstruction and the 1947 Military Assistance Agreement shaped the office's role during the Cold War, when interactions involved the Central Intelligence Agency and policies linked to the Korean War and regional anti-communist alignments. The 1987 Philippine Constitution and subsequent laws redefined civil-military relations and institutional oversight amid events such as the People Power Revolution.

Appointment and Tenure

The secretary is appointed by the President of the Philippines and confirmed by the Commission on Appointments; tenure typically coincides with presidential terms though resignations and reshuffles occur during administrations like those of Ferdinand Marcos, Corazon Aquino, Fidel V. Ramos, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, Benigno Aquino III, Rodrigo Duterte, and Ferdinand Marcos Jr.. Nominees often have backgrounds as retired officers from the Philippine Army, Philippine Navy, or Philippine Air Force, or as civilian technocrats with ties to the National Security Council or legislative committees such as the Senate Committee on National Defense and Security. Removals or interim appointments have followed crises involving operations against the Maute group and controversies over modernization contracts.

Organizational Structure and Agencies

The department comprises bureaus for personnel, intelligence, logistics, and acquisitions linked to agencies like the Armed Forces of the Philippines, Philippine Coast Guard, National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, and the Office of Civil Defense. Attached offices include the Government Arsenal and the Fort Bonifacio Development Corporation in coordination with regional commands such as Western Command (Philippines) and Southern Luzon Command. Joint task forces for counterterrorism and maritime security operate with interagency partners like the Philippine National Police Maritime Group and the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act-related enforcement arms during interdiction operations.

Notable Officeholders

Prominent secretaries have included former military leaders and political figures such as Gen. Basilio Valdes, Gen. Ramon Magsaysay, who later became President, Gen. Alejo Santos, Gen. Rafael Ileto, and civilians like Juan Ponce Enrile and Gilbert Teodoro. Secretaries played key roles in events involving the Moro National Liberation Front, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, the 1986 People Power Revolution, and modernization initiatives under Fidel V. Ramos and Benigno Aquino III. Some officeholders were central to international defense agreements, counterinsurgency campaigns against the New People's Army, and controversies over procurement with firms such as BAE Systems and Thales Group.

Policies and Initiatives

Major initiatives include the Armed Forces' modernization program emphasizing platforms like the FA-50 Fighting Eagle, Boeing AH-64 Apache, and offshore patrol vessels from Israel Shipyards and Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering, as well as doctrine shifts toward territorial defense and maritime domain awareness involving the National Coast Watch System and satellite partnerships with agencies such as the Philippine Space Agency. Policies address counterterrorism cooperation with the United States Agency for International Development and capacity building under the Foreign Military Sales framework and trilateral exercises like Balikatan and KAKADU.

Budget and Resources

Funding for the department is allocated through the General Appropriations Act and overseen by the Department of Budget and Management and legislative appropriations via the House Committee on Appropriations and the Senate Committee on Finance. Budgets support personnel, procurement, and infrastructure projects including bases like Camp Aguinaldo and shipbuilding at the Philippine Navy's Cavite Naval Yard. External assistance and grants, such as those under the US Foreign Military Financing program and bilateral deals with Japan and South Korea, supplement domestic appropriations for modernization and capability enhancements.

Category:Philippine military