 |
| The Hamilton class cutter BRP Ramon Alcaraz (PF 16) |
By Franz-Stefan Gady
The Philippines can only afford ‘frugal’ military modernization despite rising tensions in the South China Sea.
The Philippine government is planning a 25 percent increase in the a portion of its 2016 defense budget dedicated to the modernization of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) in order to reinforce its military assets in the South China Sea, according to AFP.
The AFP modernization program within the core Department of National Defense (DND) budget is set to increase from P15 to P25 billion ($552 million) in 2016. According to Florencio Abad, the current Secretary of the Philippine Department of Budget and Management, this would constitute the highest-ever increase in spending for military modernization in over two decades.
The 2016 defense budget is expected to rise by 16.3 percent to P115.8 billion ($ 2.5 billion) with total defense spending – including unprogrammed acquisitions and pensions – set to increase to P174.6 billion ($ 3.8 billion), according to IHS Jane’s Defence Weekly.
Read the full story at The Diplomat