THE Covid-19 pandemic has severely affected the Philippine Navy’s capability upgrade program by pushing back both the delivery and signing of contracts for most of the Navy’s biggest projects. These include its much-hyped submarine acquisition program, supposed to be the pinnacle of its transition to a modern navy.
The pandemic had stalled if not pushed back the delivery and acquisition of the Navy’s primary platforms, including the procurement of two submarines where a fund of P70 billion has been eyed, including for instrument landing systems and basing support, according Navy chief Vice Admiral Giovanni Carlo Bacordo.
“I was expecting that the signing of the contract would have been done this second semester of 2021 or at the latest, first semester of 2022. That would have been the timeline for this submarine acquisition project. But because of Covid-19, so much of our funds have been devoted to the government’s Covid-19 response,” he said.
While he did not name the country from which the submarines are being eyed to be sourced, he identified Turkey, France, South Korea, India and even Singapore as among those who have expressed their interest to supply these, although Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana earlier said that they were keen on acquiring the French-made Maestrale class.
Presiding over his last media conference with military reporters, the outgoing Navy chief said that the pandemic has also delayed the delivery of the last two of the South Korean-made brand-new frigate, which arrived and commissioned into service this year instead of the last quarter of last year.
“Also, the nine fast attack interdiction craft vessels; the first of the nine should have arrived by the fourth quarter of 2020, now the first will be arriving first quarter of 2022,” Bacordo said, adding “our offshore patrol vessel project; the six offshore patrol vessels, we have projected to have the first of the six delivered by 2021, right now, no contract signing to date.”
“The two corvettes, the same story,” the Navy chief said, noting that the Navy has projected to have one of the two corvettes delivered by 2022, “but right now, there is no contract signing.”
“We were not able to program Covid in 2020, it was unexpected and then, for me the biggest blow, was to our modernization efforts,” Bacordo said.
Meanwhile, the Navy is also interested in acquiring at least five Cyclone-class patrol boats that have been decommissioned by the United States Navy, and which it was looking at deploying in the West Philippine Sea so that other vessels could be sent in the other maritime areas of the country, like in the north.
“We are assessing how we can acquire those vessels,” Bacordo said, adding that a technical working group is ready and is working with the US for a “joint visual inspection” of the vessels.
The US has originally offered the Philippine Navy 15 units of the Cyclone-class vessels. The Navy’s BRP General Mariano Alvarez is the only Cyclone-class ship in its inventory.
Bacordo said that the Navy is also looking at acquiring TC-12 Huron aircraft from the US for a variety of missions, including ISR operations and troop transport.
Relatedly, Bacordo said that he has already signed the “term sheet” for the Navy’s acquisition of close to 100 hectares of land located in the northern yard of the former ship building facility of Hanjin in Subic.
“The next phase is already the terms of reference. All the details, the payment details, the stay of the Navy, for how long…all of these will be in the terms of reference,” he said.
The acquisition of a portion of the facility will allow the Navy to dock its big and newly acquired assets, which have never seen berthing yet because of the absence of basing support facilities.
“We are looking forward to move in this Hanjin facility because as I said earlier, all of our Del Pilar-class patrol vessels, all of our Tarlac-class landing docks, our Conrado-class corvette and our Jose Rizal-class frigate…have not docked in any Navy facility since they arrived in the country. So with this Hanjin, it may be the first time that they will be docking in a Navy facility,” Bacordo said.
Changes
Bacordo also said that the Navy is no longer the force of yesteryears with “legacy vessels” and a “legacy mindset.”
Recalling the day he joined the force, he said all of the floating assets of the Navy are considered vintage and as such, the mindset of the sailors are also outmoded.
“Most of the vessels that we see now are modern,” he said, noting that at least 24 legacy ships have been decommissioned, with four still left and are on the way to the junkyard.
Beyond the acquisition of modern ships, which he continued from his predecessors, Bacordo, however, took pride in overhauling the whole Navy in his desire to make it at par with other navies.
One the area which he improved is on system communication wherein dispatches and reports from the ranks are already reaching him on a daytime notice, unlike before that they take days and even a week to reach the commander.
“Just this year, we have incorporated [the process] electronically. Now it can reach me one day,” he said, saying that until 2017, if a report needs 10 signatories, it also needs 10 days before it would reach the chief of the Navy.
The naval operation concept, which the Navy had instituted under his leadership would make the job of the command and his succeeding leaderships easier to navigate as they pursue the Navy’s goal for a credible defense posture.
All assets that the Navy would need as a force, including the type of platforms and the “type of capabilities” have been identified and prepared, according to Bacordo.
A “synchronization matrix” has also been put up and developed involving the Navy’s doctrine, its personnel, materiel, logistics and basing.
Bacordo noted that while the Navy has acquired brand new and bigger vessels, these platforms have never been docked in any Navy facility because of the lack of basing facilities.
A missile storage facility for the armament of the fast attack interdiction craft that it will be acquiring from Israel has been drawn.
The Navy has also moved for the development of forward operating bases which it can use for its detection, prosecution and interdiction operations anywhere in the country’s maritime waters, without exhausting its vessels.
Under Bacordo, a UAV squadron has been organized which will man and operate the Navy’s unmanned aerial systems, which would be deployed aboard Navy ships, thus extending 10 times the reach of these vessels.
Since the command is in the middle of modernizing, the Navy chief has re-indoctrinated the sailors and Marines against their legacy doctrine where training are being undertaken and pushed for them to handle their new assets and equipment.
Bacordo has implemented the “field specialization” program, which no longer require every Navy personnel to board ship, instead of further honing their skills and specializing in their current roles.
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