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Teodoro flags PH's missile defense gaps, supply risks as Middle East tensions rise
Philippines
National
Teodoro flags PH's missile defense gaps, supply risks as Middle East tensions rise
Teodoro flags PH's missile defense gaps, supply risks as Middle East tensions rise
Published Mar 17, 2026 03:15 pm
Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. (leftmost) delivers a speech during the ceremonial turnover of agricultural equipment to farmers and the provision of medical and dental services for residents at the Laoac Municipal Hall in Laoac, Pangasinan, on March 17, 2026. (Photo: DND)
Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. on Tuesday, March 17, said lessons from escalating missile and drone attacks in the Middle East point to urgent gaps in the country’s own defense posture, particularly on interception capability, supply chains, and fuel reserves.
Teodoro said the DND is studying vulnerabilities exposed by the crisis, most especially the lack of missile interceptors by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).
“We need to increase our anti-missile systems. It’s all a question of national resilience and national defense, which is why we must take modernization seriously and not treat it as mere lip service,” he said in an interview in Laoac, Pangasinan.
The AFP is currently developing its Integrated Air Defense System (IADS), a layered defense combining radar, command-and-control, and interceptor systems to protect the country’s airspace and critical assets.
In 2022, the Philippine Air Force (PAF) unveiled the Spyder Air Defense System (SPADS), its first-ever ground-based air defense system (GBADS) which is a highly mobile and medium-range system designed to protect critical installations, mobile units, and friendly forces from aerial threats including aircraft, helicopters, drones, missiles, and rockets.
The system comprises a command and control (C2) unit, three missile-firing units, a missile supply vehicle, and a field service vehicle, with each launcher carrying four canisterized missiles capable of intercepting targets up to 50 kilometers.
But Teodoro admitted that more systems should be procured to further strengthen the country’s defense.
Aside from that, Teodoro said that recent attacks on vessels and infrastructure near the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow sea lane between Iran and Oman through which about 20 percent of global oil trade passes, also have an impact on the country’s oil supply and trade.
He said even the military is affected by the rising fuel prices as well as the lack of supply of petroleum products, which is why stockpiling fuel is a priority for the AFP.
“We really need to have large reserves. I will not say the amounts but we need not only the amounts but the facilities,” the defense chief emphasized.
For now, the AFP’s scheduled operations, particularly its maritime patrols in the West Philippine Sea (WPS), will continue since there is reserve fuel for these but options to halt certain missions are now being discussed.
“If it’s not really necessary, we won’t carry out all operations in the West Philippine Sea because we also need to conserve our resources,” Teodoro said.
Teodoro was in Pangasinan to witness the turnover of agricultural equipment to farmers and the provision of medical and dental services for residents in Laoac town, in partnership with the Northern Luzon Command (Nolcom).
The activity was part of ongoing efforts by the national government to extend services to local communities while strengthening civil-military cooperation, especially amid the Middle East crisis, where disruptions in global supply chains could hit fuel and agriculture inputs.
“That’s why we expedited this, to help our farmers here, because the prices of fertilizer and other expenses are rising,” Teodoro said.
Security risks
Aside from economic impact, the defense chief said that the tensions in the Middle East could also cause security risks.
“We are closely monitoring the situation as it could lead to terrorism. These are the possible implications we see,” Teodoro said.
US prexy’s call
Meanwhile, Teodoro said the AFP has no capability to escort tankers transiting the Strait of Hormuz, after United States President Donald Trump called on allies to send warships so that oil tankers could freely pass the passageway that is heavily threatened by Iranian drones and naval mines.
“For us, that’s moot and academic—we simply don’t have that capability,” Teodoro said when asked about Trump’s request.
Nonetheless, the DND chief expressed readiness to help in other ways since he said the country’s goal is also to keep safe distressed Filipinos in the Middle East, including overseas workers and seafarers aboard international ships.
“All moves that could escalate this, especially indiscriminate attacks, should be stopped immediately, and we should look for other ways to resolve the crisis in the Middle East—not only because, first and foremost, our fellow Filipinos are being put at risk,” Teodoro said.