Philippine military to recruit ‘cyber warriors’ amid growing digital threats

The Philippines is recruiting a new breed of “cyber warriors” to tackle rising digital threats, the nation’s armed forces chief said Thursday, following a wave of online attacks. 

Gen. Romeo Brawner said the Philippines’ 200,000-strong military, including its reserve force, was equipped to deal with traditional enemies but needed support from professionals who could wage war online.

“We recognize that the cyber domain is one of the more important domains in warfare, especially in the future,” Brawner said at an event hosted by the Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines.  

“Our plan is to create a cyber armed forces occupational service. So the soldiers we are going to recruit for this will not have to go through the normal process because we understand that some of them will not be able to cope.

“What we are after is their skills and intellect when it comes to cyber.”

Brawner’s comments follow a spike in cyberattacks against government institutions over the past month, including the lower house of Congress on Wednesday. The Philippine Health Insurance Corporation and the Philippine Statistics Authority have also been targeted recently.

Brawner said the military had been under attack “almost daily” from both local and foreign hackers, though he declined to specify from which country. He admitted that hackers managed to leak “old files” and non-sensitive documents from the military’s servers two years ago.

The Philippines military already has a cyber security group that tracks and protects the country from attacks.

But the plan was to expand it to become a “Cyber Security Command or Cyber Command” that operated more independently, had more personnel, capabilities and equipment, Brawner said. 

Globally, malicious cyberattacks by state and non-state actors are a growing problem, forcing countries and corporations to invest in defensive capabilities.

The U.S. Department of Defense identified what it said was a growing threat of malicious cyber attacks by China in its 2023 Cyber Strategy, saying Beijing had launched “campaigns of espionage, theft, and compromise against key defense networks and broader U.S. critical infrastructure.”

Brawner would not comment on whether Chinese actors were behind recent attacks, although tension between Beijing and Manila has been high over actions in the South China Sea. 

The Philippines has accused China of dangerously harassing its supply boats, including firing water cannon at its coast guard in August.

To counter more aggressive Chinese actions in the disputed waterway, the Philippines and its staunchest ally, the U.S, have upgraded their defense alliance and are set to launch joint patrols. Cyber training has also been part of exercises.

As an added security measure, the military would also stop allowing telecommunication companies to build cell towers in military camps, Brawner said. This was cited as a major security concern by top defense officials because bases were allowed to host installations by mobile phone firms, including that of China Telecom.

The defense relationship between the Philippines and China has deteriorated so much that the Philippine military has suspended a bilateral agreement that allowed for the exchange of personnel, Brawner said.

Five officers have been sent to train in China every year since 2007, but the exchange is no more following the water cannon incident.

“There are currently no Filipino officers in China for advanced schooling,” Brawner said.

Jojo Rñoza contributed to this report from Manila