Download or read book Guarding the Sulu-Celebes Seas written by Havelino Apalla Salih and published by . This book was released on 2021 with total page 109 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia had successfully engaged in a defense cooperation through Trilateral Cooperation Arrangement (TCA). The framework of the arrangement stipulates the employment of military approach as a mechanism to address the maritime security threats in the Sulu-Celebes Seas. However, after successful implementation of its various components such as conduct of coordinated maritime and air patrols, conduct of coordinated land-based exercises and series of port visits, illicit activities continue to exist. For this reason, the researcher seeks to explore the challenges and limitations of defense cooperation and military approach in addressing maritime security threats particularly maritime terrorism and piracy. In order to understand the nature of threats, this thesis examines the historical origins of the emergence of anti-government movements and Islamic radicalism in the region. Likewise, it explains the various factors that curtails the current defense cooperation of which the researcher identifies as historical disputes, limited defense capabilities and domestic constraints to security cooperation. As the current defense cooperation appears to lack in scope to address the intricate nature of maritime terrorism and piracy, the researcher proposes for not just a TCA focusing only on defense and military cooperation but rather a Tri-National Cooperation Arrangement comprising the whole of government efforts as a mechanism to address the problems in the Sulu-Celebes Seas.