India-Philippines Strategic Partnership: Expanding Beyond the BrahMos Deal

Overview

India and the Philippines have formally elevated their diplomatic relationship into a comprehensive Strategic Partnership. This shift moves bilateral engagement beyond transactional arms sales like the BrahMos missile system. It establishes institutionalised maritime security cooperation, defence industrial collaboration, and strategic alignment across the Indo-Pacific.

The transition reflects India's evolution from a regional observer into a proactive security provider under its Act East Policy. Both nations share commitments to international maritime governance under the 1982 UNCLOS. Beyond security, bilateral cooperation now extends to digital infrastructure, space technology, and preferential trade.

Through coordinated naval exercises, coastal defence capacity building, and intelligence exchanges, both countries are constructing a shared security architecture. The goal is to safeguard sovereign rights and maintain navigational freedom along critical sea lanes.

The delivery of the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile system to the Philippine Marine Corps on 19 April 2024 marks India's first major indigenous military hardware export to an ASEAN member. This shipment executed the USD 375 million export contract signed between the Philippine Department of National Defense and BrahMos Aerospace Private Limited in January 2022.

The acquisition package provides the Philippine Marine Corps' Coastal Defense Regiment with three missile batteries, mobile launcher units, advanced radar command networks, and integrated operator training. These shore-based systems significantly enhance the defensive posture of the Philippines across its exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

Building on this milestone, Philippine President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. undertook a state visit to New Delhi. During the summit, both nations formally elevated ties to a Strategic Partnership and adopted the Joint Plan of Action (2025–2029).

Diplomatic ties between New Delhi and Manila have moved from traditional non-aligned goodwill to an operational security partnership. For decades, bilateral engagement remained limited to diplomatic exchanges and modest trade. Today's alignment reflects shared concerns over maritime disruptions and a mutual desire for strategic autonomy.

Bilateral defence governance operates under the institutional framework of the Joint Defence Cooperation Committee (JDCC), established under the 2006 Defence Cooperation Agreement. The JDCC held its 5th meeting in Manila on 11 September 2024 to evaluate defence trade, joint training initiatives, and service-level cooperation.

To deepen institutional links, India established a dedicated resident Defence Attaché office at the Embassy of India in Manila in March 2024. Bilateral architecture was further reinforced when both nations signed Terms of Reference (ToR) establishing Service-to-Service Staff Talks across the Army, Navy, and Air Force.

Maritime defence cooperation balances operational interoperability, white shipping transparency, and shore-based deterrence. As maritime nations reliant on open sea lanes of communication (SLOCs), both countries prioritise freedom of navigation and overflight.

The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) and Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) concluded formal Terms of Reference alongside Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) for White Shipping Information Exchange. This mechanism enables real-time tracking of commercial non-military vessel movements to counter illicit trafficking, piracy, and illegal fishing.

To broaden multilateral Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA), India invited the Armed Forces of the Philippines to deploy an International Liaison Officer (ILO) to the Information Fusion Centre – Indian Ocean Region (IFC-IOR) in Gurugram.

Operational naval coordination has advanced through bilateral Maritime Cooperative Activity (MCA) exercises in the South China Sea. During these drills, Indian naval frontline assets, including INS Delhi, INS Kiltan, and INS Shakti, executed complex tactical manoeuvres alongside Philippine naval combatants.

India also extended an offer of a concessional Line of Credit (LoC) to the Philippines to facilitate procurement of Indian-built defence platforms and naval vessels.

India and the Philippines actively support a rules-based maritime order anchored in international law. The South China Sea represents a critical maritime highway carrying over one-third of global shipping, including the vast majority of India's trade with East and Southeast Asia.

During the 5th Joint Commission on Bilateral Cooperation (JCBC), both governments issued an explicit reaffirmation of international maritime legal mechanisms. According to the Ministry of External Affairs, both sides emphasised adherence to the 1982 UNCLOS and the 2016 South China Sea Arbitral Award delivered by the Permanent Court of Arbitration.

This joint diplomatic stance reflects India's willingness to endorse legal arbitrations in Southeast Asian maritime disputes. Both nations formally affirmed the convergence between the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP) and India's Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI). This alignment prioritises maritime ecology, connectivity, and maritime security pillars.

Bilateral merchandise trade crossed USD 3 billion during fiscal year 2023–24. Despite steady expansion, both administrations recognise substantial untapped potential across agriculture, pharmaceuticals, infrastructure, and electronic manufacturing.

To accelerate economic integration, both nations adopted formal Terms of Reference to commence negotiations for an India-Philippines Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA). A bilateral PTA will lower tariff barriers, boost value chain integration, and expand access for Indian generic pharmaceuticals and agricultural exports.

Bilateral engagement is expanding across high-technology and scientific sectors through the following initiatives:

• Civil Space Cooperation: The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and the Philippine Space Agency (PhilSA) executed a Statement of Intent to collaborate on satellite applications, earth observation, and peaceful space uses.
• Digital Infrastructure Development: The Ministry of External Affairs signed an MoU with the Philippine Department of Information and Communications Technology, launching a pilot project for a Sovereign Data Cloud utilising Indian digital stack architectures.
• Joint Scientific Research: A bilateral Programme of Cooperation in Science and Technology (2025–2028) established joint research initiatives in artificial intelligence, virology, and additive manufacturing.
• Legal and Consular Frameworks: Both governments ratified a bilateral Treaty on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters (MLAT) and a Treaty on the Transfer of Sentenced Persons.

Strategic cooperation between India and the Philippines faces operational, financial, and external geopolitical hurdles that require sustained diplomatic management. Translating political goodwill into sustained operational synergy requires addressing key structural bottlenecks:

• Geopolitical Sensitivities in Contested Waters: Deepened military cooperation between India and the Philippines attracts scrutiny from regional powers asserting extensive maritime claims in the South China Sea. Both nations must balance assertive deterrence with diplomatic stability.
• Fiscal and Absorption Limits: Philippine defence modernisation programmes operate under stringent budgetary limitations. Integrating complex weapon systems demands sustained capital allocation for maintenance, spares, and ammunition.
• Logistical and Supply Chain Sustainability: Operating sophisticated platforms like the BrahMos system requires dedicated lifecycle support, technical maintenance infrastructure, and dependable supply lines across the Bay of Bengal and South China Sea.
• Bilateral Trade Asymmetry: Merchandise trade of USD 3 billion remains modest relative to the economic size of both nations. Trade diversification beyond pharmaceuticals, IT services, and auto components is essential to sustain strategic goodwill.

Sustaining momentum in India–Philippines ties requires institutionalising multilateral security networks, operationalising lines of credit, and accelerating bilateral preferential trade negotiations. Policy focus should centre on four actionable priorities:

1. Expediting Concessional Credit: New Delhi and Manila must expedite utilisation of the concessional Line of Credit (LoC) for defence procurements. Expanding Philippine acquisitions to Indian naval patrol vessels, fast attack craft, and coastal radar networks will create layered maritime surveillance capabilities.
2. Fast-Tracking Domain Awareness Integration: Maritime integration should be operationalised through the permanent posting of a Philippine International Liaison Officer at IFC-IOR in Gurugram. Combining real-time data from Indian and Philippine coastal radar stations will curb maritime crimes and illegal fishing across overlapping surveillance zones.
3. Concluding the Trade Pact: Both nations should conclude negotiations on the Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA) within a defined timeframe. Lowering non-tariff barriers and standardising customs procedures will encourage Indian investments in Philippine renewable energy, digital public infrastructure, and pharmaceutical manufacturing.
4. Expanding Minilateral Synergy: Bilateral defence initiatives should link with wider minilateral groupings. Engaging partners across the Quad, ASEAN minilaterals, and Indian Ocean forums will reinforce a secure, multipolar, and rules-based Indo-Pacific.

• India and the Philippines formally elevated their ties to a Strategic Partnership during President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.'s state visit, adopting a Joint Plan of Action (2025–2029).
• Delivery of the USD 375 million shore-based BrahMos cruise missile system on 19 April 2024 represents India's first strategic indigenous military export to an ASEAN member state.
• Both nations explicitly uphold the 1982 UNCLOS and the 2016 South China Sea Arbitral Award, aligning India's Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI) with the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP).
• Bilateral maritime domain awareness has been institutionalised through Coast Guard White Shipping SOPs, naval exercises with vessels like INS Delhi and INS Kiltan, and an invitation to deploy a Philippine officer to IFC-IOR Gurugram.
• Economic and scientific partnerships are expanding through formal Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA) negotiations, ISRO-PhilSA space agreements, and digital sovereign cloud infrastructure pilots.