India, Philippines Vow To Strengthen Defence Ties At JDCC Meeting In Manila

The fifth meeting of the India-Philippines Joint Defence Cooperation Committee (JDCC) took place in Manila, co-chaired by India’s Defence Secretary, Giridhar Aramane, and Senior Undersecretary of the Philippines’ Ministry of National Defence, Irineo Cruz Espino. The meeting marked a step forward in bolstering defence ties between the two nations, with discussions covering a wide range of bilateral and multilateral issues.

Both sides reviewed the outcomes of the third Service-to-Service interaction, held just a day earlier and expressed satisfaction with the steady enhancement of defence cooperation across various sectors. The Defence Secretary lauded the Philippines’ Self Reliance Defence Posture Act, which aims to modernise its Armed Forces. He drew parallels with India’s own vision of ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ (Self-Reliant India), emphasising India's growing defence manufacturing capabilities and expanding its role as a global exporter of military equipment.

In a gesture to deepen collaboration, Shri Aramane extended an invitation to the Philippines to partner with the Indian defence industry for co-development and co-production of defence equipment. The Philippines, in turn, invited Indian investments in long-term equity partnerships to ensure secure supply chains, while recognising India’s successful model of defence industry indigenisation.

Both countries reaffirmed their shared goal of achieving self-reliance in defence production and welcomed the operationalisation of the White Shipping Information Exchange, as well as the upcoming opening of a dedicated defence wing at the Embassy of India in Manila.

The JDCC framework, established under the 2006 Memorandum of Understanding on Defence Cooperation, has seen an upgrade to Secretary-level co-chairmanship as part of commemorations marking 75 years of diplomatic relations between India and the Philippines, as well as 10 years of India’s Act East policy.