India-Philippines defence relations

31-Mar-2023: 4th Joint Defence Cooperation Committee meeting between India & Philippines held in New Delhi

4th Joint Defence Cooperation Committee meeting between India and the Philippines was held in New Delhi on March 31, 2023. The Indian delegation was led by Joint Secretary, Ministry of Defence Shri Amitabh Prasad, while the Philippines delegation was headed by Assistant Secretary for Strategic Assessments and International Affairs, Department of National Defence Mr Pablo M Lorenzo.

During the meeting, both sides reviewed the ongoing bilateral defence cooperation and discussed effective and practical initiatives to further expand the engagements. The co-chairs reaffirmed their commitment to implement 2006 agreement concerning defence cooperation, based on mutual trust and understanding, common interest and shared values of democracy and rule of law.

Both sides agreed to initiate measures to enhance cooperation in Defence Industry and Technology domain and look forward to greater synergy in effectively deepening bilateral cooperative engagements across the spectrum. They discussed cooperation in multilateral forums and noted complementarities in their approaches to the Indo-Pacific region and decided to hold regular consultations on issues of mutual interest. The interest and enthusiasm towards strengthening the bilateral relations across sectors were appreciated.

2021

23-Aug-2021: Maritime partnership exercise between Indian Navy and the Philippine Navy

Two ships of the Indian Navy, namely INS Ranvijay (Guided Missile Destroyer, D55) and INS Kora (Guided Missile Corvette, P61), on deployment to the Western Pacific, carried out a Maritime Partnership Exercise with BRP Antonio Luna (Frigate, FF 151) of the Philippine Navy on 23 Aug 21 in the West Philippine Sea.

The joint evolutions conducted during the exercise included several operational manoeuvres and the participating ships of both navies were satisfied with the consolidation of interoperability achieved through this operational interaction at sea.

The Indian naval ships are currently deployed to the Western Pacific with an aim to strengthen maritime security collaboration with partner nations. The interaction with BRP Antonio Luna was, therefore, an enriching opportunity for the Indian Navy to consolidate its bilateral relations with the Philippine Navy. In compliance with the prevailing pandemic guidelines, the exercise was conducted in contactless manner and all necessary health and safety protocols were strictly observed. After the exercise, the Indian naval ships are scheduled to call at Manila Port for replenishment.

India and The Philippines share a very robust defence and security partnership built over several years and spanning across all domains. Both navies remain committed to further strengthening bilateral collaboration in the maritime domain towards a collective aim of ensuring a stable, peaceful and prosperous Indo-Pacific.