The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) (Filipino: Sandatahang Lakas ng Pilipinas) are the military forces of the Philippines. It consists of three main service branches; the Army, the Air Force, and the Navy (including the Marine Corps). The President of the Philippines is the Commander-in-Chief of the AFP and forms military policy with the Department of National Defense, an executive department acting as the principal organ by which military policy is carried out, while the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines serves as the overall commander and the highest-ranking officer in the AFP. Founded under the National Defense Act of 1935, while tracing its roots to the Philippine Revolutionary Army, the AFP has played an integral part in the country's history. The AFP has also been involved in various conflicts, such as combatting rebellion against the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and its attached organizations, the New People's Army (NPA) and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDF), and operations against local Islamic terrorists in Mindanao. The AFP has also been part of various peacekeeping operations around the world, as part of its contribution to the United Nations. At present, military service is entirely voluntary. As a result of the diminished number of active communist rebels and jihadist groups in the 2020s, the AFP has been shifting its primary focus from handling internal threats such as insurgency and local terrorism to defending the Philippine territory from external threats.
== Leadership == Commander-in-Chief: President Bongbong Marcos Secretary of National Defense (SND): Secretary Gilberto C. Teodoro Jr., PAF (Res.) National Security Adviser: Secretary Eduardo SL. Oban Jr. Presidential Adviser on the West Philippine Sea: Secretary Andres C. Centino Presidential Adviser for Peace, Reconciliation and Unity: Sec. Mel Senen S. Sarmiento
History
Pre-colonial Philippines maintained local militia groups under the barangay system. Reporting to the datu, these groups, aside from maintaining order in their communities, also served as their defense forces. With the arrival of Islam, the system of defense forces in the Mindanao region's sultanates under Muslim control mirrored those other existing sultanates in the region. These local warriors who were in the service of the Sultan were also responsible to qualified male citizens appointed by him.
During the Spanish colonial period, the Spanish Army was responsible for the defense and general order of the archipelago in the land, while the Spanish Navy conducts maritime policing in the seas as well as providing naval logistics to the Army. The Guardia Civil took police duties and maintaining public order in villages and towns. In the early years of Spanish colonial era, most of the formations of the army were composed of conquistadors backed with native auxiliaries. By the 18th and 19th centuries, line infantry and cavalry formations were created composed of mixed Spanish and Filipino personnel, as well as volunteer battalions composed of all-Filipino volunteers during the later half of the 19th Century. Units from other colonies were also levied to augment the existing formations in the Philippines. Almost all of the formations of the Spanish Army in the archipelago participated in the local religious uprisings between 17th and 19th centuries, and in the Philippine Revolution in 1896 fighting against the revolutionary forces. At the peak of the revolution, some Filipinos and a few Spaniards in the Spanish Army, Guardia Civil, and Navy defected to the Philippine Revolutionary Army.
The Spanish cession of the Philippines in the 1898 Treaty of Paris put the independence of the newly declared Southeast Asian republic in grave danger. The revolutionaries were fighting desperately as the American forces already landed in other islands and had taken over towns and villages. The Americans established the Philippine Constabulary in 1901 manned by Filipino fighters and used against Gen. Aguinaldo who was later captured. The Philippine-American War was officially ended on April 16, 1902, with the surrender of General Miguel Malvar. This date of official ending of the war was affirmed President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo on April 9, 2002, during the centennial celebration of the end of war. Since the beginning of American rule in the Philippines, the United States Army had taken the responsibility for the defense of the country in the land, and the United States Navy in the seas until the passage of the National Defense Act of 1935 which called for a separate defense force for the Philippines.
Creation and the Commonwealth Era
In accordance with the National Defense Act of 1935, the Armed Forces of the Philippines was officially established on December 21, 1935, when the act entered into force. Retired U.S. General Douglas MacArthur was asked to supervise its foundation and training. MacArthur accepted the offer and became a Field Marshal of the Philippines, a rank no other person has since held. Jean MacArthur, his wife, found the situation amusing and remarked that her husband had gone from holding the highest rank in the United States Army to holding the highest rank in a non-existent army. President Quezon officially conferred the title of Field Marshal on MacArthur in a ceremony at Malacañan Palace on August 24, 1936, when he appeared with a gold marshal's baton and a unique uniform. The Army of the Philippines included naval and air assets directly reporting to Army headquarters, and the Philippine Constabulary, later part of the ground forces proper as a division. In 1938 the Constabulary Division was separated from the army and reorganized into a national police force. The administration of the military throughout the islands was divided into ten "military districts."
MacArthur expanded the Army of the Philippines with the revival of the Navy in 1940 and the formation of the Philippine Army Air Corps (formerly the Philippine Constabulary Air Corps), but they were not ready for combat at the start of the Pacific War in December 1941 and unable to defeat the 1941–42 Japanese invasion of the Philippines.
World War II
In 1940–41, most soldiers of the Philippine military were incorporated in the U.S. Army Forces Far East (USAFFE), with MacArthur appointed as its commander. USAFFE made its last stand on Corregidor Island, after which Japanese forces were able to force all remaining Filipino and American troops to surrender. The establishment of the general headquarters of the Philippine Commonwealth Army are military station went to the province during the occupation. Those who survived the invasion but escaped from the Japanese formed the basis of recognized guerrilla units and ongoing local military force of the Philippine Commonwealth Army that continued the fighting against the enemy all over the islands. The Philippine Constabulary went on active service under the Armed Forces of the Philippines during liberation.
Postwar Era
After Japan was defeated in World War II, the Philippines gained its independence in 1946. (This was its second independence after the Philippine Declaration of Independence in 1898). The pre-war military districts briefly continued to be used for administering the military, until they were reorganized into Military Area Commands in 1946. In 1947 the modern AFP first emerged with the upgrade of the PAAC to the Philippine Air Force. 1950 saw the creation of the Philippine Marine Corps, a naval infantry force under the command of the Philippine Navy, after then-Defense Secretary Ramon Magsaysay ordered Commodore Ramon Alcaraz to go to study the organization of the U.S. Marines. Alcaraz recommended the creation of the new service, earning him the distinction of being the "Father" of the Philippine Marine Corps.
=== 1950 delineation of service commands === A major revamp in the Armed Forces was effected on March 30, 1950, when President Elpidio Quirino issued Executive Order No. 308 which called for the merger of the Philippine Constabulary with the Armed Forces, making it one more major service command. This was the second time the PC returned to a military force. Due to the unstable peace and order conditions existing in the countrysides brought about by the resurgence of the Hukbalahap (Huk) which require more personnel strength, the Philippine Army was called upon to assist in the pacification drive with the employment of its combat arms – the Battalion Combat Teams or BCTs, with PC men absorbed by the BCTs. It was under E.O. 308 and according to Administrative Order No. 113, dated April 1, 1950, the PC was formally merged with the Armed Forces of the Philippines; the merger was completed on July 27, the same year. 12,000 men from the MPC to the PC. Under the E.O., the power of executive supervision and all authority and duties exercised by the Secretary of Interior concerning the PC or its members were transferred to and exercised by the Secretary of National Defense. With the appointment, on American advice, of former USAFFE guerilla Rep. Ramon Magsaysay as Secretary of National Defense in September 1950 and the subsequent appropriation by Congress of more funds for the drive against the Communist movement in the Philippines, more BCTs were formed. The delineation of the missions of the then four major service commands – Philippine Army, Philippine Constabulary, Philippine Navy, and Philippine Air Force – were underlined by EO No. 389 dated December 23, 1950, which abolished the Philippine Service Command and the Philippine Ground Force. Headquarters Armed Forces of the Philippines became known as "General Headquarters, Armed Forces of the Philippines"; while General Headquarters, Philippine Constabulary became known as "Headquarters, Philippine Constabulary", the nomenclature it had in the prewar years. Also, the major commands were abolished and in their places were activated the four major services. As defined in Executive Order (E.O.) No. 389, the main function of the PC was maintaining peace and order within the country and to be the country's national police force even though it was a branch then of the military. In the reorganization that followed, the four military areas created under EO No. 94, series 1947, were not altered substantially but were nevertheless placed under the administrative and operational control of the AFP General Headquarters.
=== Operations in Korea, Vietnam, and against the Hukbalahap === During the Korean War from 1951 to 1953, the Philippines sent various AFP battalions, known as the Philippine Expeditionary Forces to Korea (PEFTOK) to fight as part of the US-led United Nations Command in liberating South Korea from the invading North Korean troops. Throughout this time, the AFP had been in conflict with various elements of the Hukbalahap which, still known as the "huks", were reconstituted as the Hukbong Mapagpalaya ng Bayan ("Peoples' Liberation Army")the armed wing of the Marxist–Leninist Partido Komunista ng Pilipinas of 1930 (PKP-1930). This conflict effectively ended in 1954, with the huks becoming a spent force during the presidency of Ramon Magsaysay. In 1966, an AFP battalion was also sent into South Vietnam during the Vietnam War to ameliorate the economic and social conditions of its people there. AFP units were also sent at the same time to the Spratly Islands. 1963 would see the first women join the ranks of the armed forces with the raising of the Women's Auxiliary Corps.
Martial law
President Ferdinand Marcos sought to have a strong personal influence over the Armed Forces as soon as he became president in 1965, holding on to the portfolio of defense secretary in the first thirteen months of his presidency to develop what scholars have noted to be "a patronage system within the defense establishment." The portfolio afforded him direct interaction with the AFP's leadership, and to have a hand in the AFP's day-to-day operationalization. Upon the declaration of martial law in 1972, Marcos used the AFP as what the Davide Commission Report would later call his "martial law implementor," and "one of the vital supports of the regime." Upon the announcement of Martial Law in 1972, one of their earliest tasks was that of quickly arresting and containing Marcos' political opponents, and Marcos' hold on power was effectively broken once enough of the Military withdrew their support from him in February 1986. Antonio Parlade notes that to get the military to ensure their cooperation, Marcos "had to expand the military organization and patronize the generals to buy their loyalty." Marcos oversaw a significant expansion of the AFP, which grew from a force of 57,100 in 1971 to a 97.89 percent increase of 113,000 personnel in 1976 - a significant increase of over a five-year period. He also increased the military budget from P880 million in 1972 to P4 billion in 1976. Marcos also instituted the AFP Self Reliance Defense Posture (SRDP) program, which was supposed to enable the AFP to construct its own weapons, tanks, armored vehicles, ships, gunboats, and aircraft locally instead of buying from foreign sources. This included "Project Santa Barbara" under the Philippine Navy, which saw the testing of the Bongbong II MLRS - named after Marcos' son - in 1972. However, the project was discontinued before the Marcos administration ended. The military was given many functions aside from its task of national defense, including assisting in the implementation of price controls imposed on key products like corn and rice, enforcing the rules of the national corn procurement program, assisting in the collection of rural and government bank loans, implementing the agrarian reform law, and various police functions such as collecting unlicensed firearms and enforcing curfews, and suppressing strikes, rallies, and other demonstrations. Marcos carried out the "largest reshuffle in the history of the armed forces" when he forcibly retired fourteen of the AFP's twenty-five flag officers, including the AFP Chief of Staff, the AFP Vice Chief of Staff, the commanding general of the Philippine Army, the Chief of the Philippine Constabulary, the commanders of all four Constabulary Zones, and one third of all Provincial Commanders of the PC. Other key officers critical of Marcos, such as Commodore Ramon Alcaraz, were compelled to leave the service. In their place, Marcos appointed officers from his home region, the Ilocos, the most significant of whom had familial connections to Marcos – ensuring their familial and regionalistic loyalties to him. Among the most prominent such appointments were that of General Fabian Ver as commander of the Presidential Security Command in 1965, and AFP chief of staff in 1981; Juan Ponce Enrile as Secretary of Defense from 1970 to 1986; and General Fidel Ramos as chief for the Philippine Constabulary, and later as Armed Forces Vice Chief from 1981 to 1986. Generals loyal to Marcos were allowed to stay in their positions past their supposed retirement age, or were rewarded with civilian government posts. This led to a loss of morale among the middle-ranks of the AFP, because it meant a significant slowdown in promotions and caused many officers to retire with ranks much lower than they would otherwise have earned. Several cabals of dissatisfied officers eventually formed among the middle-ranks of the AFP, most notably the Reform the Armed Forces Movement in the early 1980s. The Marcos administration is thus considered to have marked a decline for AFP in terms of its traditional values of civilian supremacy and professionalism, leading to a need for security sector reform during later administrations, as per the recommendations of the Davide Commission in 1990 and the Feliciano Commission in 2003. Civilian and military historians alike agree that "human rights abuses by the troops became rampant" during the Marcos administration, as documented by international monitoring entities such as Amnesty International. Units often specifically cited in these reported incidents include the Metrocom Intelligence and Security Group (MISG), and the 5th Constabulary Security Unit (5CSU) of the Philippine Constabulary, as well as the Intelligence Service Armed Forces of the Philippines (ISAFP). The Presidential Security Unit and the National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) were also accused of aiding these activities. Aside from human rights abuses, these units were also accused of hounding media entities, corporate management, and opposition groups with threats, intimidation, and violence. The Marcos administration also marked the beginnings of at least two long-running conflicts that continued to plague later administrations: the Moro conflict and the New People's Army conflict. The Moro conflict, began in earnest in 1968 when short-lived organizations such as the Muslim Independence Movement and the Bangsamoro Liberation Organization formed in reaction to news about the Jabidah Massacre, with many of their forces eventually coalescing as the Moro National Liberation Front was formed in 1972. Meanwhile, the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) was formed in 1968, while the New People's Army (NPA), founded in 1969, grew nationwide to a 200,000 strong force.
EDSA Revolution
Due to what was popularly believed to be electoral fraud during the 1986 Philippine presidential election, February 1986 saw a period of uncertainty. A boycott movement and plans for massive civilian protests were in place. During the chaos, the Reform the Armed Forces Movement headed by then Defense Minister Juan Ponce Enrile decided to stage a military coup against Marcos. The plot was uncovered, however, and the forces involved became trapped in Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City. They then sought and received the support of Philippine Constabulary chief and AFP Vice-Chief of Staff LtGen Fidel V. Ramos in the neighboring Camp Crame, but even with Ramos' defection, their forces were trapped in the two neighboring camps. Manila's Catholic Archbishop, Jaime Sin, went on Radio Veritas and called for people to go to the section of Epifanio de los Santos Avenue in between the two camps and help protect the rebel forces. Since civilian groups were already planning massive protests in relation to the election results, a large crowd was able to gather and prevent Marcos' forces from attacking camps Aguinaldo and Crame. This civilian uprising, which would come to be known as the People Power Revolution, led to various units of the AFP refusing orders to fire on the camps and the civilians protecting them, and led to the removal Marcos from power. Corazon Aquino was then installed as the new president of the Philippines. Shortly after midnight on February 26, five army trucks of troops under the command of Fidel Ramos arrived in Malacañang Palace to secure it after Ferdinand Marcos had left, and various individuals had entered it, marking the end of Marcos' reign, and placing the palace under the control of the Provisional Government of the Philippines until a new constitution could be enacted a year later, in 1987.
Later 20th century
During Corazon Aquino's administration, most of the military units remained loyal to her as she dealt with various coup attempts against her, either by military factions that remained loyal to the former dictator, or by the Reform the Armed Forces Movement. The 1989 coup attempt, the bloodiest of all coup attempts against her, was crushed with US help. Following the 1989 coup attempt, President Aquino established a Fact-Finding Commission headed by COMELEC Chairman Hilario Davide Jr. to investigate and provide a full report on the series of coup attempts. When it came out, The Davide Commission Report recommended several short-term and long-term counter-measures, including the establishment of a civilian national police force, a crackdown on corruption in the military, a performance review of appointive government officials, reforms in the process of military promotions, a review of election laws in time for the 1992 presidential elections, and a definitive statement on the part of Aquino on whether she intended to run for re-election in 1992. The publication of the recommendations of the report is considered one of the key starting points of security sector reform in the Philippines. The AFP, during her term also launched a massive campaign against the CPP-NPA after a brief hiatus and also against the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) in the south. In 1991, the major services of the AFP were reduced from four to three, when the Philippine Constabulary or PC, an AFP major service tasked to enforce the law and to curb criminality, was formally merged with the country's Integrated National Police, a national police force on the cities and municipalities in the country attached to the PC to become the Philippine National Police, thus removing it from AFP control and it was civilianized by a law passed by Congress, therefore becoming under the Department of the Interior and Local Government as a result.
Contemporary history
In 2000, on President Joseph Estrada's orders, the AFP launched an all-out offensive against the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, a breakaway group of the MNLF that wants to proclaim Mindanao an independent state. The AFP succeeded in capturing the MILF's main headquarters, Camp Abubakar on July 9. The AFP played a key role in the two-day Edsa Dos People Power revolt in 2001; the revolution removed Estrada from power and installed then vice-president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo as president. Since 2001, the Armed Forces of the Philippines has been active in supporting the war on terror and has been attacking terrorist groups in Mindanao ever since. In 2012, the AFP Chief of Staff said that there had been no increase in the number of soldiers over a long period, and that the military aimed to hire 30,000 troops in three years. In 2013, the AFP successfully quelled the Zamboanga City attacks of the Moro National Liberation Front, which proclaimed the independence of the short-lived Bangsamoro Republik. After the signing of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro in 2014, the AFP has played a key part in the normalization process with the MILF, which includes "the decommissioning of MILF combatants and their weapons and the transformation of several camps into productive and resilient communities," developing a close working relationship with the Philippine National Police and the MILF-Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces (BIAF) in the pursuit of peace in the Bangsamoro. In 2016, the AFP clashed with the Maute group on Butig on February, late May to early June, and on November of 2016. Under President Rodrigo Duterte in May 2017, the AFP thwarted the ISIS militants' attempt to establish a foothold in the Philippines in the five-month-long siege to retake Marawi from militant occupation. The AFP called President Duterte to declare Martial Law under Proclamation No. 216. Additionally, the AFP and the NTF-ELCAC were at the forefront of Duterte's intensified campaign against the communist rebellion; by the end of Duterte's term, the AFP reported the reduction of NPA guerrilla fronts from 89 to 23, and only 2,000 remained of more than 25,000 "members, supporters, and sympathizers of the underground movement". In 2024, the number of active communist rebels in the NPA reached a low of 1,500, with the AFP aiming to neutralize them by the end of the year. As a result of the development, the AFP under the Bongbong Marcos administration has been shifting its focus away from handling internal threats towards defending Philippine territory from external threats such as China's encroachment in the West Philippine Sea.
Organization and branches
The 1987 Philippine Constitution placed the AFP under the control of a civilian, the President of the Philippines, who acts as its Commander-in-Chief. All of its branches are part of the Department of National Defense, which is headed by the Secretary of National Defense. The AFP has three major services:
Philippine Army (PA) – Hukbong Katihan ng Pilipinas Philippine Navy (PN) – Hukbong Dagat ng Pilipinas Philippine Marine Corps (PMC) – Hukbong Kawal Pandagat ng Pilipinas Philippine Air Force (PAF) – Hukbong Himpapawid ng Pilipinas These three major services are unified under the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (CSAFP) who normally holds the rank of General/Admiral. The AFP Chief of Staff is primarily assisted by:
The Vice Chief of Staff of the AFP (VCSAFP) The Deputy Chief of Staff of the AFP (TDCSAFP) Both normally holding the rank of Lieutenant General/Vice Admiral. The three highest posts of the AFP are also assisted by the Secretary Joint Staff (SJSAFP), who serves as the primary executive officer for the AFP Chief of Staff, the Vice Chief of Staff, and The Deputy Chief of Staff. Each of the three major branches and key major commands are headed by an officer with the following titles:
Commanding General of the Philippine Army (CG, PA) - Lieutenant General Flag Officer in-Command of the Philippine Navy (FOIC, PN) - Vice Admiral Commanding General of the Philippine Air Force (CG, PAF) - Lieutenant General Commander, Unified Commands (Lieutenant General/Vice Admiral) Superintendent, Philippine Military Academy (Lieutenant General/Vice Admiral) The Inspector General (Lieutenant General/Vice Admiral) Commander, AFP Intelligence Command (Lieutenant General/Vice Admiral) Commander, AFP Joint Sustainment Command (Lieutenant General/Vice Admiral) Commander, AFP Strategic Command (Lieutenant General/Vice Admiral) Commander, Civil-Military Operations Command, AFP (Lieutenant General/Vice Admiral) Meanwhile, the Chief of Staff of the AFP is also assisted by the 10 following office holders carry the rank of Major General/Rear Admiral, who serves as the members of the Joint Staff Divisions, at the General Headquarters in Camp Aguinaldo. These Joint Staff Divisions are also part of the Joint Staff, which is composed of the AFP Chief of Staff, the Vice Chief of Staff and The Deputy Chief of Staff.
Deputy Chief of Staff for Personnel, J1 Deputy Chief of Staff for Intelligence, J2 Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations, Organization & Training, J3 Deputy Chief of Staff for Logistics, J4 Deputy Chief of Staff for Plans, J5 Deputy Chief of Staff for Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance, Targeting Acquisition and Reconnaissance, J6 Deputy Chief of Staff for Civil-Military Operations, J7 Deputy Chief of Staff for Education, Training and Doctrine, J8 Deputy Chief of Staff for Reserve Force Development, J9 Deputy Chief of Staff for Financial Management, J10 The AFP also comprises the Special Staff, which is divided into two separate groups. These groups also assist the AFP Chief on their designated fields:
The Administrative Staff: The Inspector General of the AFP (TIG) The Adjutant General (TAG) The Judge Advocate General (TJAG) The Chief, Chaplain Service (TCCS) The Provost Marshal General (TPMG) The Chief, Special Services (TCSPS) The Chief, Historical Activities (TCHA) The Chief, Doctrines Development (TCDD) The Technical Staff: The Chief Engineer The Chief for Ordnance and Chemical Service The Quartermaster General The Surgeon General The Chief Nurse The AFP Chief of Staff is also assisted by the following office commanding division-sized troops holders carry the rank of Major General/Rear Admiral:
Army Division Commanders Naval Command Commanders Air Command Commanders The Commandant of the Philippine Marine Corps On June 19, 2020, under the DND Order no. 174, the AFP had major changes in renaming its positions in high-ranking officials, such as the following:
Chief of Staff of the AFP - Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Vice Chief of Staff of the AFP - Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs The Deputy Chief of Staff of the AFP - Chief of the Joint Staff Commander, Unified Command - Joint Forces Commander, Unified Command Deputy Chief of Staff for (functional area) (J-staff) - Deputy Chief of the Joint Staff for (functional area) Commanding General of the Philippine Army - Chief of the Army Flag Officer in-Command - Chief of the Navy Commanding General of the Philippine Air Force - Chief of the Air Force However, the AFP has deferred these title changes a few months later as President Rodrigo Duterte revoked the usage of the position titles, and decided to maintain the traditional position titles.
=== Geographical Combatant Commands === Units from these three services may be assigned to one of six "Combatant Commands" led by each Commander; consisting of units from the three branches of the AFP, which are multi-service, regional entities. The Combatant Commands are responsible in monitoring, securing and defending their specific geographical area of operations within the Philippines. There are currently six Combatant Commands in the AFP, with each Commander of the Combatant Commands hold the rank of Lieutenant General/Vice Admiral, and reports directly to the office of the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
Northern Luzon Command (NOLCOM) (Ilocos Region, Cordillera Administrative Region, Cagayan Valley, and Central Luzon, including the Scarborough Shoal and the Benham Rise) National Capital Region Command (NCRCOM) Southern Luzon Command (SOLCOM) (Calabarzon; Mimaropa excluding Palawan, and Bicol Region) Visayas Command (VISCOM) (Western Visayas, Central Visayas, Eastern Visayas) Western Command (WESCOM) (Palawan and the Spratly Islands) Eastern Mindanao Command (EASTMINCOM) (Davao Region, Soccsksargen, and the Caraga regions) Western Mindanao Command (WESTMINCOM) (Zamboanga Peninsula, Northern Mindanao, and the BARMM)
Commanders, Geographical Combatant Commands
=== Joint Organizational Support Units === Several organization-wide support services and separate units report directly to the General Headquarters, Armed Forces of the Philippines (GHQ, AFP). The units are the:
General Headquarters & Headquarters Service Command (GHQ & HSC) Presidential Security Command (PSC) Philippine Military Academy (PMA) Education and Training Command, AFP (ETC, AFP). The organizations under it include: Armed Forces of the Philippines Command and General Staff College (AFPCGSC) AFP Officer Candidate School AFP Health Service Command. The organizations under it include: Medical Center, AFP (MC, AFP) Armed Forces of the Philippines Dental Service Center (AFPDSC) Special Operations Command (Philippine Army) AFP Joint Special Operations Command (AFPJSOC) Reserve Command, AFP (RESCOM, AFP) Commissary and Exchange Service, AFP (CES, AFP) Communications, Electronics and Information System Service, AFP (CEISSAFP) Intelligence Service, AFP (ISAFP) AFP Cyber Command Counterintelligence Group (CIG) AFP Doctrine Development Center (AFPDDC) Peacekeeping Operations Center (PKOC, AFP) Citizen Armed Force Geographical Unit (CAFGU) AFP Intelligence Command AFP Joint Sustainment Command AFP Strategic Command Civil-Military Operations Command, AFP - formerly known as the Civil Relations Service, AFP (CRSAFP)
=== Former branches === The Philippine Constabulary (PC) was a gendarmerie type military-police force of the Philippines established in 1901 by the United States-appointed administrative authority, replacing the Guardia Civil of the Spanish colonial regime. On December 13, 1990, Republic Act No. 6975 was approved, organizing the Philippine National Police (PNP) consisting of the members of the Integrated National Police (INP) and the officers and enlisted personnel of the PC. Upon the effectivity of that Act, the PC ceased to be a major service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the INP ceased to be the national police and civil defense force. On January 29, 1991, the PC and the INP were formally retired and the PNP was activated in their place. The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) is also another attached agency to the Armed Forces of the Philippines, but due to the civilian nature of the PCG functions led to the separation of the Coast Guard from the Philippine Navy on March 30, 1998, by virtue of Executive Order 475 signed by President Fidel Ramos. The Order effectively transferred the PCG from the Department of National Defense to the Office of the President, and eventually to the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) on April 15, 1998, by virtue of Executive Order 477.
=== Defunct former commands === AFP Joint Task Force-National Capital Region (AFP JTF-NCR) Eastern Command Central Luzon Command (CELCOM) Central Mindanao Command (CENMINCOM) Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) Home Defense Command (HDC) Internal Defense Command (IDC) National Development Support Command (NADESCOM)
