First of three parts
IN the decades that spanned four administrations, including the government of Fidel V. Ramos, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) was forced to accept the reality that it was a laggard among the military troops in Southeast Asia, particularly in the area of firepower.
While Ramos vainly attempted to upgrade the military and make it on a par with its regional counterparts, his efforts sputtered, due mainly to the lack of funds or the absence of political will.
Ramos’s efforts to transform soldiers into modern and adequately equipped fighting troops through Republic Act (RA) 7898, or the military modernization law, which was passed during his term in 1995, was supposed to have given the military new assets and equipment.
But the law—with a coverage of 15 years and with an initial budget of P50 billion during its first five years—only gave the AFP a paltry amount, which it even used in the repair and maintenance of its decrepit and vintage World War II assets.
Worse, the modernization of the military failed to pick up speed during the succeeding administrations of Joseph Estrada and Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo until the law expired in 2010. Estrada’s term was aborted after barely three years in office.
New modernization law
In December 2012, RA 7898 was amended by RA 10349,or the revised AFP Modernization Act, which extended the law for another 15 years and allocated an initial budget of P75 billion for the first five years of its implementation. The Department of National Defense drafted and implemented the “Horizon,” a three-phase plan that would modestly equip the individual soldier and the defense establishments as a whole until 2028. The Philippine Air Force and the Philippine Navy crafted their “flight” and “sails” plans, respectively, and the Army began to transform itself into a modern force that “is a source of national pride.”
Barely three years since the revised modernization law was implemented, assets and equipment had begun to trickle into the AFP. “It may be recalled that P331 billion was allocated for the implementation of the AFP Modernization Program under RA 7898, however, only P58.4 billion was released. It must be mentioned that of this amount, P31.6 billion was provided during the Aquino administration,” Defense Secretary Voltaire T. Gazmin said late last year.
Transforming the military
While the modernization of the military is basically focused on equipping its troops with modern assets and equipment like state-of-the-art weapons, ships and aircraft, the AFP must, however, transform its mind-set to cope with the changes associated with using new weapons.
“The modernization program is not only about buying the assets and equipment, but in preparing our personnel in handling these assets. It involves training and organizational transformation,” AFP Public Affairs Office Chief Lt. Col. Noel Detoyato said.
Detoyato said the military must make adjustments so that troops could fully use the new equipment.
“Doctrine will also have to be adjusted,” he said, adding that while the AFP is revising its doctrine “every five years or earlier,” the arrival of new assets and equipment necessitates an earlier adjustment.
However, whether the new assets and equipment were for internal or external defense, the doctrine in relation to the equipment stays.
“In the case of infantry, the doctrine must be adjusted in the way [a soldier] fights using the new weapon. But whether he is fighting insurgency or any other threat, it is the same weapon that he would be using,” Detoyato said.
Part of the military’s modernization program is the acquisition of force protection system for soldiers, which includes basic equipment such as firearms, night-fighting apparatus, helmets, vests and even combat boots.
“The force protection gears are the same equipment that the infantry would be using whether they would be involved in internal security operations or territorial security,” Detoyato said.
Of the big-ticket items identified in the modernization, smaller procurements have been made for the military, which boosted the morale of soldiers.
These included the purchase of M-4 assault rifles, Squad Automatic Weapon (SAW) that met the military’s standard requirement of having two SAWs for every squad of soldiers, more advanced radio, like Harris squad and platoon radio, and night-operating systems, like goggles and scopes.
The Philippine Army has also ordered 28 Israeli-upgraded M113 armored personnel carriers in a government-to-government contract, six of which have already been delivered.
The 28 armored personnel carriers (APCs), 14 of which were upgraded into fire-support vehicles, four as armored-recovery vehicles, six as APCs and four as infantry-fighting vehicles, were procured for P882 million.
The APCs are armed with the latest automated firing system that has a 99.9- percent accuracy of hitting its target with a single bullet.
“This means that the sighting and correction for wind shear and other factors are done electronically and that a highly accurate and computerized firing control ensures for a very lethal weapon system against the enemies of the state,” Israeli defense contractor Elbit System Ltd. said.
APCs are usually fitted with machine guns that allow strafing fire. The upgraded APCs are also equipped with modern thermal sights and infrared equipment, which means that firing can be done even in the dark, allowing soldiers to effectively engage their targets.
Detoyato said the military choose the APCs because the AFP already has the expertise in using them, and as such, could easily integrate the weapons into its system.
The AFP is also in the process of acquiring 114 M113 APCs from the US through the latter’s Excess Defense Articles, which would allow the Philippines to get the equipment for free. However, the military has to shell out more than P60 million to cover freight costs.
Detoyato said the military is not acquiring assets and equipment in order to portray force in Southeast Asia, but only to be able to protect its territory.
“We are not a power-projecting nation in the region, we only want to protect our territory,” he said.
To be continued
Image credits: AP
1 comment
AFP is on a shoestring budget because the budget is used for the mansions, villas, and haciendas of the generals. These generals are traitors who should be hanged.