MANILA — The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on Wednesday welcomed Israel's continued support of its modernization program, following a visit to the country by an official of the Israeli military.

BGen. Efraim Defrin, Head of the Israel Defense Forces' (IDF) International Cooperation Division, paid a visit to the AFP headquarters in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City.

During his visit, Defrin met with AFP senior officers, including Inspector General Lt. Gen. William Gonzales and Marine BGen. Noel Beleran, DCS for Education, Training and Doctrine, J8.

In their meeting, Gonzales thanked Defrin for his country's support for the AFP modernization program.

The AFP noted that it has 20 modernization projects with Israel, with 14 of them already completed. The completed projects amount to P19 billion.

"These projects include artillery howitzers, armored vehicles, air defense surveillance and radar systems, multi-purpose attack craft, firepower upgrades, and force protection equipment," the AFP said in a statement.

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Ongoing projects between the Philippine and Israeli militaries include light tanks, armored personnel carriers, ground-based air defense systems, and fast attack interdiction craft.

Defrin noted the common challenges and issues faced by both the Philippines and Israel, and underscored the importance of working together and learning from each other.

The IDF and AFP could further enhance knowledge and expertise sharing through continued training and student exchanges, he added.

Following their meeting, the Israeli military official also gave a strategic overview of IDF's defense doctrine and security challenges.

The Philippine and Israeli militaries have been in cooperation with each other since 2010, after both countries signed a memorandum of understanding on logistics and defense industry cooperation.

"The MOU is focused on enhancing intelligence exchanges, logistics, education and training, counterterrorism, and cyber security," the AFP said.