The Army is expecting the delivery of its new howitzers next year, while the Navy may receive its brand-new corvettes as the military steps up its modernization program in its counterinsurgency drive.
The sustainment of the modernization program, principally for territorial defense, and the campaign against the communist rebels under the military’s internal security operations are the key goals of Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Andres Centino.
President Duterte issued marching orders for the armed forces to end the insurgency problem before the end of his term next year, and military officials believed the goal is doable, owing to what they said were the steady stream of rebel surrenders and the neutralization of rebel leaders.
According to Centino, the military is already on the tailend of the second horizon of its modernization program, which will give the Army next year its artilleries and 155 howitzers, the Navy with two brand-new corvettes and the Air Force with medium-lift aircraft, including C-295 and even attack helicopters.
The Air Force even said that its order comprising of Turkish-made attack helicopters would begin arriving in December this year following the completion of its Black Hawk procurement project, of which 16 units have been delivered.
The modernization program of the military is divided into three horizons, with the second horizon ending next year and the third horizon beginning in 2023 and ending in 2028.
“Second horizon is actually the transition from our internal security operations…we will be transitioning to developing our capacities to address our territorial defense challenges,” Centino said during the “Laging Handa” news briefing.
“In the Philippine Navy, we will be having submarines, missile systems and communications, which is important to us, C4ISTAR systems, there will be deliveries,” he added.
Centino said the “most urgent” and most important task that the military will do is to comply with the task given to them by the Commander in Chief to end local armed conflict within his term.
“That is barely seven months from now, and by doing that we will also be ensuring that in the coming months nearing elections, we will have a situation wherein we are capable to facilitate the conduct of the safe, secured fair elections,” he said.
The chief of staff is optimistic they could comply with Duterte’s order, noting that they only have about 43 guerrilla fronts of the New People’s Army to dismantle before the President steps down from the Palace.
“This year, we have dismantled 20 guerilla fronts and only 43 are remaining. There are 11 that are for dismantling. So at the rate that we are going, I am sure that it is not far that we could really comply with the order of our President,” Centino said.
“We have the time, the resources, the focus and the personnel to perform this task,” he added.
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