The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) created yet another intelligence group as it acknowledges the crucial role of information warfare in its overall campaign strategy to protect the country and the people.

The AFP Intelligence Command (AIC) was activated on August 21 “to enhance the nation’s intelligence capabilities in response to evolving security challenges,” said AFP spokesperson Col. Francel Margareth Padilla on Wednesday, Nov. 6.

The newly-activated command is being led by its commander, Lt. Gen. Ferdinand Barandon.

“This renewed establishment addresses the pressing need for a more adaptive and efficient intelligence,” Padilla said.

However, Padilla could not explain how the AIC would function administratively as the AFP already has the Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (ISAFP) which conducts intelligence operations under the command of the AFP chief of staff.

The ISAFP's primary function is to provide the military with accurate, relevant, and timely data to help commanders make decisions. 

The AFP also has a counterintelligence command, the AFP Counterintelligence Group (AFP-CIG), which neutralizes espionage efforts by other countries and their agents. The AFP-CIG's mandate is to conduct counterintelligence operations nationwide.

Asked how the AIC will function, Padilla responded: “[I] prefer not to respond in detail at this time.”

She, however, noted that the AFP is “focused on enhancing coordination across all intelligence units to ensure a unified approach to emerging threats.”

Last Monday, Nov. 4, AFP chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. stated that the military will incorporate for the first time an information warfighting exercise in the AFP Joint Exercise (AJEX) DAGIT-PA 2024.

He said this highlights the critical need for strategic communications and information operations in modern defense operations. As the nature of warfare evolves, Brawner stressed the importance of equipping the military not only with the physical readiness but also with robust capabilities in the digital and informational domains.

“We need to provide correct information to the public amid the proliferation of fake news. Sometimes, fake news could turn the tide of the war,” Brawner said. 

“Just look at what’s happening in the South China Sea and West Philippine Sea. Other countries have a strong information warfare because they want to give their own narrative to the entire world. We all know it’s the ships of the China Coast Guard and militia that are ramming us but in the news, they are making it appear that we are the ones bumping them. So we have to couter that and we have to rehearse that in times of war,” the military chief added.