Editing Armed Forces of the Philippines (section)

==National policies==
Recent national policies have shifted the strategic direction of the AFP towards external, territorial defense as opposed to previous, internal foci. Some of the challenges with this change in strategic direction include the uneven distribution of maritime security resources among territorial, transnational, environmental, and humanitarian assistance and disaster response (HADR) conflicts.<ref>Maritime Research Information Center (2013). Overview of the MRIC. Naval Station Francisco. Philippine Navy. Taguig, Philippines. Accessed from: {{cite web |url=http://www.navy.mil.ph/news.php?news_id=262 |title=Press Advisory re Launching of Maritime Research Information Center (MRIC) Inter-Agency Website - Philippine Navy News |access-date=June 12, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111218134857/http://www.navy.mil.ph/news.php?news_id=262 |archive-date=December 18, 2011 }}</ref> For example, Philippine Executive Order 57, signed in 2011 by President Benigno Aquino III, established a central inter-agency mechanism for enhancing governance in the country's maritime domain.<ref>Executive Order No. 57 by the President of the Philippines. September 6, 2011. Accessed from: {{cite web |url=http://www.pcoo.gov.ph/issuances/issuances-eo/EO-57.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=June 12, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130825105227/http://pcoo.gov.ph/issuances/issuances-eo/EO-57.pdf |archive-date=August 25, 2013 }}</ref> Between 1995 and 2019, the AFP Reserve Manpower in the Philippines totaled 741,937 and 4,384,936 [[Reserve Officers' Training Corps (Philippines)|ROTC]] Cadets.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://pia.gov.ph/news/articles/1027673 | title=News | website=Philippine Information Agency }}</ref> Out of the 700,00+ reservists; 93,062 are (ready reserve) and 610,586 are (standby reserve).<ref name="gatchalian">{{Cite web |date=October 4, 2018 |title=Gatchalian fights for higher AFP Reserve Force budget |url=https://legacy.senate.gov.ph/press_release/2018/1004_gatchalian1.asp |access-date=November 20, 2023 |website=Senate of the Philippines}}</ref> There are a total of 20,451 with the affiliated reserve units.<ref name=gatchalian/>

Conflicts over responsibility for maritime surveillance between armed forces continue to underscore the numerous challenges that the TBA faces. For example, following the expulsion of Ferdinand Marcos from the Philippines in 1986, the Philippine Coast Guard separated from the Philippine Navy, resulting in an uneven distribution of resources and jurisdictional confusion.<ref name="autogenerated1">Comer, C. (2010). The Parting of the Sulawesi Sea: U.S. Strategy and Transforming the Terrorist Transit Triangle. United States Army Combined Arms Center. Accessed from: [https://archive.today/20140613192613/http://usacac.army.mil/cac2/call/docs/11-23/ch_13.asp]</ref>