Armed Forces Day in the Philippines Date in the current year: December 21, 2024

The Armed Forces of the Philippines in their current form were formally organized during the American colonial period. They were established by the National Defense Act of 1935 and were composed of both Filipinos and Americans. The original name of the forces was the Philippine Army.

On December 21, 1935, the first President of the Commonwealth of the Philippines Manuel L. Quezon renamed the Philippine Army to the Armed Forces of the Philippines. This day was later designated as Armed Forces Day. The creation of the armed forces was supervised by General Douglas MacArthur. MacArthur became the only person of foreign citizenship to be in the ranks of the Philippine Armed Forces and the only person to hold the rank of Field Marshal.

Currently, the Armed Forces of the Philippines consist of three service branches: the Philippine Army, Philippine Air Force, and Philippine Navy. They have 220,000 active personnel and 430,000 reserve personnel. The President is the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces.