DND and AFP Officials Sign Bilateral Defense Cooperation Agreement with Spain, Hold 1st Joint Defense Cooperation Meeting

DND Assistant Secretary for Logistics and Acquisition (ASLA), Jesus Rey R. Avilla, hands over the copy of the MOU on Logistics, Defense Material, Armaments and Defense Industry Cooperation to Admiral Santiago Ramón González Gómez, Director-General of Armaments and Materials of the Spanish Defense Ministry. Also in the photo are DND Asst. Sec. Teodoro Cirilo T. Torralba III and his Spanish counterpart (far left and far right, respectively).

Officials from the Department of Defense (DND) / Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) conducted a successful visit to Madrid from 23 to 29 November 2019, which culminated in the signing of a bilateral defense cooperation agreement between the Philippines and Spain.

The DND/AFP delegation was headed by DND Assistant Secretary for Assessments and International Affairs, Teodoro Cirilo T. Torralba III, and DND Assistant Secretary for Logistics and Acquisition, Jesus Rey R. Avilla, who led Philippine participation in the inaugural Philippines-Spain Joint Defense Cooperation Committee Meeting (JDCC), held at the Spanish Ministry of Defense on 25 November 2019.

The JDCC resulted in the signing of a Memorandum of Agreement on Logistics, Defense Materiel, Armaments, and Defense Industry Cooperation (LDMADIC), a necessary step in realizing government-to-government transactions for defense article procurement under the AFP Modernization Program.

In addition, the meeting also saw the signing of the JDCC Terms of Reference, which will serve as the implementation platform for the PH-Spain MOU on Defense Cooperation that was signed on 3 October 2011.

Lastly, under the auspices of the JDCC, the participants held the Philippine Army–Spanish Army Bilateral Exchange, which aims to strengthen the military relationship between both armed forces.

First Meeting of the PH-Spain Joint Defense Cooperation Committee (JDCC) on 25 November 2019 at the Spanish Ministry of Defense
The Philippine delegation from DND, AFP, and ODAFA Spain with their Spanish Defense Ministry counterparts
DND Asst. Sec. Teodoro Cirilo T. Torralba III and Brig. Gen. Alfonso García-Vaquero Pradal of the Spanish Defense Ministry signing the Terms of Reference of the Philippines-Spain Joint Defense Cooperation Committee (JDCC)