Military steps up cyberdefense training

Western Command in Palawan holds a cyber defense exercise intended to strengthen readiness for cyber incidents as part of the ongoing AFP Joint Exercise-Dagat Langit Lupa. WESCOM

Cyberdefense exercises simulating responses to cyberattacks will be part of the ongoing 12-day military exercise meant to test readiness and interoperability of the three major services of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

More than 1,500 troops from the Philippine Army, the Philippine Air Force and the Philippine Navy are taking part in the training, called AFP Joint Exercise-Dagat Langit Lupa in Palawan.

“Our battle space is no longer just on land, sea and air but also in cyberspace,” Maj. Cheryl Tindog, spokesperson of Palawan-based Western Command, said on AFP radio station dwDD on Wednesday.

“Our AFP is adapting to changes that’s why we’re having exercises on cyberdefense capabilities,” she said.

READ: AFP holds cyber defense exercises

A US cybersecurity company reported last year that at least four Philippine government agencies, including the Philippine Navy and the AFP, were being persistently targeted by Chinese state-sponsored hackers.From Nov. 7 to Nov. 18, the AFP’s three branches of service will mainly train together “to level up respective capabilities in joint missions at sea, air and land.”

The drills will cover air defense/counter-air operations, maritime security, amphibious operations, combined arms live fire exercises, urban operations and urban warfare.

Not aimed at any country

AFP chief Lt. Gen. Bartolome Vicente Bacarro said the planned scenarios in the exercises were “fictional” and not related to any current situation nor directed against any country.“The goal is to improve the interoperability and proficiency of our forces addressing various threats,” he said during the opening ceremonies on Monday.The drills came as the AFP gears itself to shift its focus on territorial defense operations.

Bacarro said the AFP was now “on the upperhand” when dealing with internal security threats, and it now needs to prepare for external threats given the “prevailing and developing situation in the region.”

The AFP has been training side by side with allies and partner countries in recent months amid China’s continued aggression in the West Philippine Sea and increased military activity near Taiwan, as well as North Korea’s continued missile launches. INQ