Manila, May 30 -- The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) reaffirmed its commitment to working closely with the Department of National Defense (DND) under Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. in beefing up the country's capabilities to protect its territory and sovereignty.

"We continue to work shoulder to shoulder with the DND in advancing our modernization goals and strengthening our Comprehensive Archipelagic Defense Concept (CADC)," AFP spokesperson Col. Francel Margareth Padilla said in a message sent to reporters Thursday night.

Teodoro kept his post as defense chief after President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. declined his courtesy resignation.

The CADC is the strategic shift where the AFP is tasked to defend all Philippine territories, ...