Philippines Seeks Defense Agreements with Canada, France, and New Zealand

MANILA — The Philippine government is initiating efforts to establish Reciprocal Access Agreements (RAA) with Canada, France, and New Zealand, aiming to enhance military interoperability.

According to Philippines News Agency, Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Gilberto C. Teodoro Jr, In a recent interview with ABS-CBN News Channel, Secretary Teodoro outlined the objectives for the proposed agreements, emphasizing their role in facilitating operational cooperation between the Philippine Armed Forces and their counterparts in these nations. He noted that these agreements are designed to mirror the Philippines’ first RAA with Japan, which was signed on July 8 and focuses on lifting restrictions on military exchanges.

The potential agreements with Canada, France, and New Zealand are expected to enable joint operations within Philippine territories and vice versa, thus fostering greater interoperability among the forces. Teodoro expressed optimism about initiating discussions for these agreements by next year, although he acknowledged the complexities involved in such negotiations.

Despite the challenges posed by limited staff—DND currently operates with only 267 employees—Teodoro highlighted the department’s recent success in concluding the RAA with Japan as a significant achievement. He praised the efforts of his team and called on legislators to support a Defense Transformation Bill to better equip the department for future negotiations and operations.