France today, more partners tomorrow

The Senate has ratified our Status of Visiting Forces Agreement (SOVFA) with France. Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. cited that France is a worthy partner, being a major global arms supplier and a vocal supporter of the 2016 arbitral ruling and of freedom of navigation in the Indo-Pacific.

There are now six countries with which the Philippines shares a SOVFA—the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Canada, and now France, the first from Europe.

What will the SOVFA with France mean for us?

The agreement establishes the legal framework governing the presence and activities of visiting military forces of the two countries during approved defense engagements and exercises. It also provides for disaster response operations and bilateral cooperation. The SOVFA also defines who has criminal jurisdiction over troops if they commit criminal offenses while they are here in the Philippines.

Once the agreement enters into force, the Philippines and France will have a clearer framework for conducting more regular and larger-scale military exercises, training activities, and personnel exchanges.

Once implemented, the SOVFA would deepen the two countries’ already robust defense cooperation, which has expanded in recent years through high-level engagements, military exchanges, and participation in multinational exercises.

France’s participation in Balikatan from 2024 to 2026, alongside engagements in Exercise Sama-Sama and Kamandag, demonstrates its growing involvement in Philippine-led and allied military activities. The deployment of the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle and its accompanying naval forces to the Indo-Pacific in 2025 also demonstrates France’s ability to maintain a military presence in the region and work alongside its security partners.

The agreement is an important step in strengthening defense relations between Manila and Paris. It provides a legal framework for the temporary presence of military personnel in each other’s territory for agreed activities, including joint exercises, training, and military exchanges.

For its part, France can build on its participation in Balikatan and other multinational exercises through more regular joint training, military exchanges, and operational activities once the agreement enters into force.

Meanwhile, for the Armed Forces of the Philippines, this provides opportunities to train alongside French forces, improve operational coordination, and gain experience with military procedures and systems used by a North Atlantic Treaty Organization member.

Cooperation could also extend to maritime security, maritime domain awareness, humanitarian assistance, and disaster response, particularly as the Philippines continues to strengthen its territorial defense capabilities.

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Our interests will be protected and served by this agreement with France, with which it can improve interoperability, exchange operational experience, and strengthen maritime security cooperation. But there is yet another aspect to the SOVFA with France that may not be as explicit as the list of activities we can now do with a bilateral partner.

It is the underlying message that in this precarious world, the Philippines benefits from expanding and diversifying its partnerships with many others who share its values. France may be the first European country to share a SOVFA with us, but it certainly will not be the last.

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The Senate’s ratification of the SOVFA reflects the Philippines’ continuing efforts to expand its defense partnerships beyond its traditional allies, particularly with European countries that have a growing security presence in the Indo-Pacific.

Amid the heightened geopolitical tensions across the world, and persistent challenges in the West Philippine Sea, the country’s expanded security network would strengthen its credible deterrence while bolstering a rules-based international order across the region.

So much work goes into preserving and defending the rules-based international order. These days, threats from many different places, on many different fronts, make our world more dangerous. Any country left on its own will find it difficult to deal with external threats.

Fortunately, the Philippines has a growing list of countries with which it shares meaningful partnerships. We celebrate this latest partnership with France, and look forward to succeeding similar pacts with an international community that respects basic decency and the rule of law in their conduct between and among each other.

Certainly, Manila can leverage this new pact to diversify its defense partnerships to secure a rules-based international order in the Indo-Pacific.

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Dindo Manhit is the founder and CEO of Stratbase Group.