appConfigEntityId

bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

isVideo

articlePageQuery

article

articleSchemaContent

content

hooksArticlePageAdvertisementConfigArticle

hooksArticlePageFloatingButtonConfigArticle

appConfig

filter

json

liveArticle

Jeoffrey Maitem

The Philippines is preparing to create a military space centre by 2028, a move that could help Manila strengthen surveillance, communications and command across its archipelago and in contested areas of the South China Sea.
But analysts said the ambition would be constrained by the technical, financial and personnel hurdles of turning space assets into military capability.
Philippine military chief General Romeo Brawner Jnr said on Tuesday that the initiative would enhance communications, command and control, missile systems and drone operations, laying the groundwork for a future space command.
The proposal was presented to President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr at the military’s midyear command conference, following the president’s directive in December for the armed forces to develop their own satellite capability.
“It will be a centre. We need to start small first, and later on, we will expand into a space command or space force,” Brawner told reporters, adding that the plan envisaged the use of military satellites.

A space command would give the military a sovereign platform for persistent surveillance not only of the South China Sea but across the entire Philippine archipelago, said Rommel Jude Ong, a retired Philippine Navy rear admiral who now lectures at the Ateneo School of Government.
“A notional space capability requires a satellite platform, a ground station to receive data, a processing centre and a secure distribution system to the end users. But more important is the ‘humanware’. It takes time to train people to operate such systems efficiently,” Ong said.
While he said defence cooperation arrangements with partners remained strong, sovereign capability would grant Philippine security forces greater operational flexibility.
“That would be particularly valuable if the space programme were integrated into the [military’s] kill chain,” he said, referring to the systems used to find, track and, if needed, strike a target.
Manila has not publicly outlined a formal kill-chain doctrine comparable to those of the United States or South Korea. But analysts say its modernisation drive – including coastal missile batteries, long-range radars, drones, maritime patrol aircraft, secure command-and-control networks and the proposed space command – could underpin a more integrated targeting and response system.
Own or collaborate?
Experts said the 2028 target was achievable provided the project’s scope stayed modest and Manila pursued inter-agency cooperation alongside partnerships with countries that had established commercial space capabilities.
Given the timeline, the military has two broad options: launch satellites of its own or contract the use of allied or commercial systems, according to Vincent Kyle Parada, a former defence analyst for the Philippine Navy.
“Both options have their trade-offs. Launching satellites would require a greater initial investment, both in terms of resources as well as the expertise required to develop and maintain them,” Parada said.
“Using existing satellites may fast track space capability development in the short term, but the level of dependency that entails may lead to issues of availability in the long run.”
Parada doubted the military would establish a dedicated “space force” akin to those of the US or China. Instead, he said the proposed centre would likely sit under one of the three major service branches before eventually being upgraded into a joint space command.


“The question of whether it can acquire satellites by 2028 aside, establishing a space centre in anticipation of that capability is something that makes sense,” he said.
Brawner said the military was working with the Philippine Space Agency (PhilSA) on the initiative. “We might start with orbiting satellites. These will all be interconnected,” he said.
PhilSA has primarily operated low-Earth-orbit satellites such as Diwata and Maya, and already runs geostationary satellites, which orbit roughly 36,000km (22,400 miles) above Earth and remain fixed over a single location to provide continuous communications and surveillance.
In 2022, the Department of National Defence and PhilSA signed a memorandum of understanding to strengthen national security through cooperation on satellite applications, intelligence sharing, research and training.
The military needed a timely, accurate picture of its operating environment, particularly in the South China Sea, Parada said.
The Philippine military already has access to intelligence-sharing initiatives such as Canada’s satellite-based dark-vessel detection system, along with its own monitoring stations, but it still relies heavily on manned surveillance platforms.
“Domain awareness is a central component of any defence or deterrence strategy in the South China Sea,” Parada said. “Having dedicated satellites would significantly increase its ISR [intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance] capabilities and, crucially, strengthen command and control over its units to ensure operational effectiveness.”
Future-proofing the military
A space command would give the Philippines a sovereign capability resilient to foreign political influence, said Justin Kyle Malarayap, a defence analyst and visiting assistant professor at Arellano University in Manila. It would also improve military communications and interoperability, including in remote areas where signals are often degraded or disrupted by terrain.
“For any meaningful military space capabilities to be developed by the Philippines, it will need the collaboration of its more technically experienced allies such as the US, Japan and Australia,” he said.
“In the long term, the Philippines can opt to network its satellite with other countries. The proposed space command may model this arrangement through Nato’s Alliance Persistent Surveillance from Space, which incorporates both allied and commercial space surveillance data.”
Chris Gardiner, CEO of the Institute for Regional Security, said the wars in Ukraine and Iran had highlighted the importance of space for command and control and operational advantage.

He said Ukraine’s experience showed the need for greater self-reliance to avoid being left at the mercy of another country, or company, switching off a system or denying access at a crucial moment.
“The reality in the short term is that the Philippines, like Australia, will need to rely on the US in the space domain. The Philippines, collaborating with Australia and Japan, however, should be exploring increased investment in independent satellite systems and in shared space-based ISR,” Gardiner said.
For Brawner, the military must prepare for future conflicts rather than wait for threats to emerge, as modern warfare is increasingly defined by drones, missiles, cyber capabilities and space technologies.
“The most important thing is really to look at the situation and plan for the future. If you start acting once the threat is there, it’s already too late,” he said.


Philippine tribe vows to stand ground against US-led Pax Silica: ‘listen to us’

Upgraded but underperforming: Philippines’ growth lags behind

Hong Kong secures expanded equal treatment and investment guarantees across Asean

Second chance to earn college degree offered to Hong Kong’s Filipino domestic helpers

The Philippines

Philippines looks to space for bird’s-eye view of South China Sea threats

A Philippine coastguard personnel monitors Scarborough Shoal in the disputed South China Sea on June 15. Photo: AFP

A satellite image shows what appears to be a man-made barrier blocking the entrance to the lagoon at the Scarborough Shoal, an atoll in the South China Sea that is claimed by both the Philippines and China. Photo: Satellogic/SkyFi

A Ukrainian serviceman stands next to the antenna of the Starlink satellite-based broadband system in Bakhmut on February 9, 2023. Photo: AFP

Philippine president backs defence chief over China sanctions

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr pictured on Thursday during his visit to Vancouver, Canada. Photo: The Canadian Press/AP

Philippine Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro talks to the media at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore on May 29. Photo: AP

A member of the Philippine coastguard talks on a microphone as he looks out over Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea on June 15. Photo: AFP

A ship identified by the Philippine coastguard as a Chinese research vessel is seen at the mouth of Scarborough Shoal on June 15. Photo: AFP

Outgunned Philippine Air Force takes on South China Sea defence

Super Tucano light attack aircraft of the Philippine Air Force, designed for counter-insurgency operations, perform a fly-by during joint drills with the US in 2024. Photo: AFP

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr looks at miniature models of military aircraft presented to him by air force chief Lieutenant General Arthur Cordura (right) during an event at Villamor Air Base in Pasay City on July 1 marking the Philippine Air Force’s 79th founding anniversary. Photo: EPA

Anti-government protesters carry mock images of Marcos, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, US President Donald Trump and US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth during a rally in Manila last month. Photo: EPA

A coastguard helicopter delivers aid packages to an earthquake-affected village in Sarangani province, southern Philippines, on June 11. Photo: Philippine Department of Social Welfare and Development/EPA

F-15SG fighters of the Republic of Singapore Air Force perform during National Day celebrations last year. The city state operates Southeast Asia’s most advanced air force. Photo: Xinhua

A Chinese coastguard vessel patrols near Second Thomas Shoal last month. The disputed South China Sea feature lies around 194km west of the Philippines’ Palawan province. Photo: Xinhua

What Philippine president’s visit reveals about Canada’s Indo-Pacific ambitions

Canadian Minister of National Defence David McGuinty (left) and Philippine Secretary of National Defence Gilberto Teodoro take part in a signing ceremony in Ottawa on June 11. Photo: AP

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr salutes military honour guards at a ceremony marking the 79th founding anniversary of the Philippine Air Force at Villamor Air Base on Wednesday. Photo: EPA

Philippine navy personnel watch Canadian vessel HMCS Montreal during the Multilateral Maritime Cooperative Activity in the West Philippine Sea on August 7, 2024. Photo: Public Affairs Office Armed Forces of the Philippines/AP

Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney delivers a speech during the World Economic Forum in Davos on January 20. Photo: AFP

Philippines taps ‘smarter, cheaper’ Australian drones to deter China

Australia has provided the Philippine coastguard with additional aerial and undersea drones to support its modernisation. Photo: Facebook/Australia in the Philippines

The signing ceremony for the donation of Australia’s aerial and undersea drones to the Philippines takes place at the Philippine coastguard’s headquarters in Manila on Tuesday. Photo: Facebook/Australia in the Philippines

A Chinese coastguard vessel fires its water cannon at a Philippine vessel near the Philippine-occupied Thitu island, locally called Pag-asa island, in the South China Sea last October. Photo: Philippine coastguard/AP

China’s ban on Philippine defence chief and family seen as warning shot to Manila

Philippine Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro talks to the media as he attends the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore on May 29. Photo: AP

A Filipino fisheman rows a boat during a trip near the disputed Scarborough Shoal, in Masinloc, Zambales province. Photo: Reuters

Philippine Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jnr delivers a speech as he attends the sixth plenary session of the 23rd Shangri-La Dialogue summit in Singapore on May 31. Photo: AFP

This Week in Asia

Politics

News

Asia

Southeast Asia

Having dedicated satellites is ‘something that makes sense’ as it would give the military more control over its territory, experts say


Having dedicated satellites is ‘something that makes sense’ as it would give the military more control over its territory, experts say.


Philippines looks to space for bird’s-eye view of South China Sea threats

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Having dedicated satellites is ‘something that makes sense’ as it would give the military more control over its territory, experts say

Having dedicated satellites is ‘something that makes sense’ as it would give the military more control over its territory, experts say