As part of the Master in National Security Administration (MNSA) Program of the National Defense College of the Philippines (NDCP), the Academic Affairs Division (AAD) successfully conducted the National Security and Development Study (NSDS) 2022 on 15 – 19 and 20 – 25 February 2022. The NSDS, a learning component of the NSA 204 (Area Security Studies) Module, presents a practical venue where the students get to apply theories and concepts to actual national security issues and challenges. The members of the MNSA Regular Course 57, together with NDCP officials, faculty, and staff, were divided into four (4) groups covering the selected focus areas in Southern Luzon and Western Visayas regions.

The NSDS 2022 of the MNSA RC-57 was the first NSDS that was completed in two years ever since the beginning of the pandemic. Following the health and safety protocols of the IATF and respective local and regional governments, the MNSA RC-57 scholars visited various government offices, think tanks, private firms, and military camps to discuss how they contribute to the national government’s efforts to address the country’s defense and national security challenges.

Among the highlights of the NSDS visits were the political and economic factors that contribute to ending local communist insurgency (Region IV-A, CALABARZON), the importance of sustainable development, maritime patrol, and maritime domain awareness in the West Philippine Sea (Region IV-B, MIMAROPA), the success stories of addressing local communist insurgency through synergy between the military and the regional government (Region V, Bicol Region), and the importance of proactive local governance in preserving ethnic identities to realize genuine and lasting societal security (Region VI, Western Visayas).

This month of July, the MNSA RC-57 is set to visit Indonesia, Thailand, and Vietnam for their Global Security and Development Study (GSDS). This year’s GSDS central theme is maritime security in the Indo-Pacific.