Philippines eyes military space unit, satellite by 2028

MANILA, Philippines — The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) is set to create a space center, which it eventually plans to turn into a space force or a space command, AFP chief General Romeo Brawner Jr. told reporters on the sidelines of the military’s first-semester command conference at Camp Aguinaldo.

“We are now planning to create our space center which will eventually evolve into a space force or a space command. Now, sabi ng mga tao, bakit kailangan natin na wala naman tayo yung satellites (People may be wondering, why do we need this when we do not have satellites)?” said Brawner, who is set to retire by July 21, 2026.

“If we wait for the time that we will have our own satellites, which we will, in fact, we are already planning and we already have a budget for that. If we wait for that time when we actually acquire our satellites, it will be too late if that’s the only time that we create a unit,” he added.

Brawner said the need for the military’s own satellites were first brought up in December 2025, during the second semester command conference with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. the year prior.

Marcos has also approved funding for the military’s efforts to acquire satellites and eventually establish a space unit, said Brawner.

“Kasi kailangan natin eh. Dalawang napaka-importante yung gamit ng space. Number one is ISR – yung eye in the sky – para makita natin yung nakikita natin yung nangyayari sa lupa at sa ating karagatan. And second is to connect all our systems, so yung communication systems natin, yung command and control systems natin, missile systems, drone systems,” he explained.

(We need it. There are important military uses of space. First is intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance – an eye in the sky – so we can see what’s happening on land and at sea. Second is to connect all our systems, including our communication systems, command and control systems, missile systems, and drone systems.)

Brawner added that the military will be partnering with the civilian Philippine Space Agency and will likely acquire low-orbit satellites first.

Superpowers such as the United States and China have space forces that are separate branches of their militaries, which means they are equal to other branches, including the army, navy, and air force. Most other modern militaries around the world have space forces or units, but these are under a larger unit or branch, usually the country’s air force. Some militaries have space commands that are joint commands staffed by personnel from all other branches.

The AFP has seen a lot of restructuring under Marcos Jr. and Brawner, who is the first AFP chief to have a fixed three-year term under Republic Act No. 11939. The AFP has introduced new commands — the Cyber Command, Intelligence Command, Strategic Command, and the Joint Special Operations Command, to name a few — as part of its modernization and external defense re-orientation efforts. – Rappler.com