The National Defense College of the Philippines (NDCP) concluded the Cyber Strategy and Policy Program (CSPP), a short course spearheaded by the Philippine Center of Excellence in Defense, Development, and Security (PCEDS), on 22 March 2023 at the NDCP Honor Hall, Camp General Emilio Aguinaldo. A total of nine students completed the program, which ran from 6 February 2023.

During the event, the NDCP and CybersCool Defcon Inc. also formalized their partnership through the ceremonial signing of a memorandum of understanding. The agreement, which was approved by the Department of National Defense, would fortify the College’s efforts in capacity building related to cyber defense. CybersCool Defcon Inc. offered the module on the fundamentals of cyber for executives during the pilot run of the short course.

In his closing remarks, LtGen Ferdinand M Cartujano PAF(Ret), President of the NDCP, said the program could contribute to a collective and coordinated improvement of the Philippines’ cyber defense mechanisms, as well as security strategies and policies. “We also hope that the program will be one of the critical components of the security sector for building the capacities and competencies necessary to leverage and take full advantage of the cyber domain,” LtGen Cartujano added.

The short course is one of the first academic programs in the Philippines to bridge the technical and policy divide in the study of cyber defense. The pilot class of the CSPP comprised civilians from the NDCP, Department of National Defense, Philippine Public Safety College, and Ultraship Crew Philippines, Inc., as well as military officers from the Armed Forces of the Philippines.