Editing Armed Forces of the Philippines (section)

===After independence===
{{see also|History of the Philippines (1946–1965)}}
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,<ref name="Schaefer2004"/> until they were reorganized into Military Area Commands in 1946.<ref>{{Cite web |title=History |url=https://pro7.pnp.gov.ph/history/ |website=pro7.pnp.gov.ph}}</ref> 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 A. Alcaraz|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]].<ref name="OfficialGazetteBRPAlcaraz2013">{{cite web |url=http://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/2013/08/06/briefer-on-ramon-alcaraz/ |title=Briefer on Ramon Alcaraz |work=Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines |date=August 6, 2013 |access-date=May 26, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180526154909/http://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/2013/08/06/briefer-on-ramon-alcaraz/ |archive-date=May 26, 2018 |url-status=live |language=en-US}}</ref>

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]].<ref name="Saulo">{{Cite book |last=Saulo |first=Alfredo |title=Communism in the Philippines: An Introduction |date=1990 |publisher=Ateneo de Manila University Press |isbn=971-550-403-5 |location=Quezon City}}</ref>{{rp|44}}

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.