Defense Real Estate Acquisition and Management Vis-a-Vis the Comprehensive Archipelagic Defense of the Philippines: A Strategic Coherence Approach

Abstract

This capstone research report provides an in-depth analysis of the strategic coherence of defense real estate acquisition and management in relation to the Philippines’ Comprehensive Archipelagic Defense Concept (CADC). Using the Three-Legged Stool framework (Ends-Ways-Means), the research examines the alignment of the National Security Strategy (NSS), National Security Policy (NSP), National Defense Strategy (NDS), legal frameworks, and institutional arrangements governing defense real estate. The study focuses on the interagency roles and coordination among the Department of National Defense (DND), Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Department of Agrarian Reform, National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP), Land Registration Authority (LRA), and the Local Government Units (LGUs). Findings reveal that the Philippines does not suffer from a strategy problem but from systemic governance execution issues characterized by fragmented authority, legal rigidity, institutional silos, local-national disconnect, and sequential governance. While the NSS, NSP, NDS, and CADC are strategically aligned, the governance system remains fragmented and inefficient. The study concludes that defense real estate is not fully treated as a strategic capability and recommends establishing a Centralized Defense Real Estate Authority and a National Defense Real Estate Strategy to improve governance integration and support CADC.