“I will be raising the topic of India joining the Squad during a meeting with Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) Gen. Anil Chauhan in the afternoon today,” Gen. Brawner said on the sidelines of Raisina Dialogue
New Delhi, March 19, 2025 — The Philippines is pushing for India and South Korea to become part of the ‘Squad’, a maritime grouping that currently includes Australia, Japan, the Philippines, and the United States, focused on enhancing cooperation in the contested waters of the South China Sea. General Romeo S.
Brawner, Chief of Staff of the Philippines Armed Forces, made this significant announcement during his participation at the Raisina Dialogue in New Delhi on Wednesday.
Speaking at the strategic conference, General Brawner described China as a “common enemy” of both India and the Philippines, citing rising tensions and aggressive maritime maneuvers by Beijing in the region. He emphasized the need for deeper strategic collaboration between New Delhi and Manila to counter shared security threats, particularly in the Indo-Pacific.
“I will be raising the topic of India joining the Squad during a meeting with Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) Gen. Anil Chauhan in the afternoon today,” General Brawner said, underlining the Philippines’ growing interest in expanding the current security alliance framework. He stressed that India’s increasing engagement in the Indo-Pacific makes it a natural partner in bolstering maritime security and freedom of navigation in the region.
Later in the day, the Integrated Defence Staff of India issued a statement on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), confirming that both leaders had held discussions covering a wide spectrum of bilateral and regional security issues. The statement read, “Discussions held on ongoing military cooperation, maritime security, and defence technology partnerships. Both leaders reaffirmed commitment to deepening engagements, including joint training, capability enhancement, and focusing on strategic collaboration in the Indo-Pacific.”
The Philippines’ push for India and South Korea to join the Squad comes amid increasing militarization of the South China Sea by China, with concerns mounting over its construction of artificial islands and harassment of vessels belonging to other claimant states.
The call for India’s inclusion in the Squad also reflects Manila’s evolving defence and foreign policy, which now prioritizes stronger security partnerships beyond its traditional allies. India, for its part, has been steadily expanding its role in the Indo-Pacific, deepening defence ties with ASEAN nations and aligning more closely with key partners like Japan, Australia, and the United States under frameworks such as the Quad and other bilateral agreements.
The Raisina Dialogue has emerged as a major platform for discussing critical global issues, including security, economics, and geopolitics. General Brawner’s remarks are expected to resonate strongly with policymakers, especially at a time when the Indo-Pacific region faces growing instability due to China’s assertive posture.
With the Philippines openly inviting India to take a more active role in regional maritime security, defence experts believe this could mark the beginning of a new phase in India-Philippines military and strategic cooperation, potentially extending to coordinated patrols, intelligence-sharing, and joint exercises in the South China Sea and beyond.
