Is the Philippines’ Military Modernization Dead in the Water? A few weeks before President Benigno Aquino’s delivered his last State of the Nation Address on 2. July 2. 01. 5, the Philippine Daily Inquirer published an article criticizing the Philippine Department of National Defense (DND) for scuttling the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ (AFP) planned acquisition of a shore- based missile system (SBMS) as part of the build- up of the country’s territorial/maritime defense capabilities. Instead of the missile system, the DND opted for the purchase of marksmen rifles, long range sniper weapons system, and protective gears for the Philippine Army’s (PA) counter- insurgency operations. The DND and the Israeli Ministry of Defense spent several years negotiating the SBMS deal, which is worth Php. US$1. 20 million).
The missile system would be put under the operational control of the Philippine Air Force (PAF) and would be installed along the coast of the Philippines’ western- most island of Palawan as part of the AFP’s maritime interdiction system against China’s growing naval presence in the South China Sea. The negotiation for the missile deal was concluded in December 2. President Aquino’s final approval. Click here to subscribe for full access. Just $5 a month. Then Army Commander and now AFP Chief- of- Staff Lieutenant General Hernando Iriberri reasoned that while the SBMS project was important to the country’s defense of the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) it was . General Iriberri justified President Aquino’s decision by declaring that it was “for the best interest of the 8. PA.”General Iriberri’s declaration however, begs the question: how does the acquisition of weapons system geared for internal security fit into the Philippine military’s overall and long- term thrust of shifting from internal security to territorial/maritime defense?
Since he assumed the presidency in mid- 2. Aquino vowed to pursue an AFP modernization program that would transform the Philippine military from an army- centered counter- insurgency- oriented organization to a modern armed force capable of overseeing territorial defense and maritime security. In clear emphatic terms, President Aquino spoke of “enhanced security” for national defense and put forward the country’s claim for territories in the South China Sea through the modernization of its navy and the air force.
The March 2, 2. 01. Reed Bank, where two Chinese civilian vessels harassed a Philippine survey ship and China dismissed the Philippines’ diplomatic queries about the incident, drove the Aquino administration to hasten the AFP’s strategic shift from internal security to territorial/maritime defense. In its first 1. 7 months of the Aquino administration, the DND spent Php. AFP’s internal security and territorial defense capability. The Philippines’ immediate territorial defense goal is to establish a modest but “comprehensive border protection program” centered around the surveillance, deterrence, and border patrol capabilities of the PAF, the PN, and the Philippine Coast Guard (PSG). The long- term goal, according to the earlier 2.
AFP’s Strategic Intent, is to develop the force structure and capabilities enabling the Philippine military to maintain a “credible deterrent posture against foreign intrusion or external aggression, and other illegal activities while allowing free navigation to prosper.”Deep into 2. AFP has only acquired two former U. S. Coast Guard Cutters (The BRP Gregorio Del Pilar and the BRP Alcaraz) and a contract for the acquisition of 1. F/A- 5. 0 multi- purpose fighter planes from South Korea to be delivered in 2. This means the missile system will be purchased and installed by the AFP after President Aquino’s term ends in 2.
Thus, the SMBS project, along with other planned acquisitions for the PAF and the PN, is practically “dead in the water” for the time being. Dr. Renato Cruz De Castro is a professor in the International Studies Department, De La Salle University, Manila, and the holder of the Charles Lui Chi Keung Professorial Chair in China Studies. State Department ASEAN Research Fellow from the Philippines.
Armed Forces of the Philippines Added More Air Firepower (Helicopter)The last batch of Agustawestland AW1. Power Chopper is expected to arrive this 2nd quarter of 2. The rebidding of huey helicopter became successful when the joint venture of Rice Aircraft Services (United States) and Eagle Copters (Canada) won the contract. The first batch of huey helicopter is expected to arrive in this second quarter of the year.
The last one is the delivery of Italy's AW- 1. Attack version. Out of 8 helicopter ordered, the 2 of its chopper is expected to arrive later this year.
With this achievement, the armed forces of the Philippines added more Air capability to response COIN Operation and Disaster. Good News: Philippines Finally signed 1. FA- 5. 0 Fighter Jet. Blogs: http: //topped. Website: http: //www.
Facebook: https: //www.
But with the victory of President-elect Rudrigo Duterte, a self-described socialist whose campaign platform centered on an inward-focused good governance campaign, declarations of doom about the AFP Modernization Program swept across the defense-centric. The Philippine government is planning a 25 percent increase in the a portion of its 2016 defense budget dedicated to the modernization of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) in order to reinforce its military assets in the South China Sea, according to AFP. The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) (Filipino: Sandatahang Lakas ng Pilipinas; Spanish: Fuerzas Armadas de las Filipinas) are composed of the Philippine Army, Philippine Navy, Philippine Air Force and the Philippine Marine Corps. In 2014, a senior AFP. The decision of the Aquino administration to abolish the pension fund for the members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) is a major policy decision by the government that needs fuller explanation than the two-page news release issued to the media. The Indian Armed Forces (IAST: Bh. It consists of three professional uniformed services: the Indian Army, Indian Navy, and Indian Air Force. Additionally, the Indian Armed Forces are supported. A few weeks before President Benigno Aquino’s delivered his last State of the Nation Address on 27 July 2015, the Philippine Daily Inquirer published an article criticizing the Philippine Department of National Defense (DND) for scuttling the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ (AFP) planned.
Positive Law; Citation This title has been enacted into positive law by section 1 of act Aug. 1, which provided in part that: 'Title 10 of the United States Code, entitled 'Armed Forces', is revised, codified, and enacted into law, and may be.