AFP vows sharper intel drive vs evolving threats

AFP Chief of Staff General Romeo S. Brawner Jr. attended as the guest of honor and speaker for the 1st AIC Founding Anniversary, held at Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City, on August 20, 2025. He was joined by Lt. Gen. Ferdinand T. Barandon, PA, AIC Commander, and Maj. Gen. Simplitius G. Adecer, PN (M), AIC Deputy Commander. (Photo by SSg Ambay, PA/PAOAFP)

MANILA, Philippines—Marking the first anniversary of the Armed Forces Intelligence Command (AIC) on Wednesday, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) underscored the central role of intelligence in confronting emerging security challenges.

AFP chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. said the AIC has been instrumental in integrating the military’s intelligence capabilities to support multidomain security operations, describing intelligence work as “crucial in protecting our flag and our people.”

“By continuously advancing capabilities across the strategic, operational, and tactical spectrum, the AIC fulfills its role of integrating all intelligence capabilities for our organization,” Brawner said in his anniversary address at Camp Aguinaldo.

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He added that the AIC, activated in August 2024, has been granted 117 new plantilla positions to bolster its manpower and organizational capacity.

The unit was established to unify intelligence assets across the service as the AFP adapts to a shifting threat landscape—from traditional external defense challenges to cyber and other nonconventional security risks./mcm/abc