In order for the Congress to check and craft additional legislative measures in support for the AFP modernization. House committee on national defense and security chairman and Muntinlupa Congressman Rodolfo G. Biazon asks defense officials on Wednesday to submit defense equipment “wish list”.
Congress will review, and, if necessary, craft legislative measures to support further development of the AFP by revising government procurement laws as well as making amendments to Republic Act 7227, otherwise known as the Bases Conversion and Development Act of 2012.
“We need to see the whole picture of the military’s plans in the long term so we will ask them to submit a modernization plan that will span the whole 15 years plan,” Biazon said, as quoted by BusinessWorld.
The AFP modernization program includes a long list of acquisition plans of military hardware including submarines, multi-role fighter aircraft, missile defense system, frigates and other modern defense technology.
This is the definite time the AFP must consider military equipment upgrade to the utmost level or at par with that of Japan and the US, at least, if not in quantity but even in sophistication. Old military equipment weapons and arsenals are just sitting ducks targets of the enemy, as evident of last procurement made just recently. More quantity and cheaper, these purchases are meant for logistical services and not for direct engagement in actual combat confrontation. In today’s technology in warfare, combat can be engage at a distance even further than 500 kilometers through missiles and air assets attack as a preemptive to land and ground invasion later. Sophisticated air search and ground radars penetrate a radius of 1000 km, an enemy advantage if we don’t have one in place. Consider our proximity to the would-be-enemy, they can scan the whole country without leaving their chairs and start targeting our assets by programming their missiles. And that leave us to the receiving end of their onslaught if we don’t have the capability for an early warning system. To go with this is the Anti Ballistic Missile Defense system like iron dome of Israel, for defense, and the capability for retaliation if necessary. For air assets, I recommend two squadron of Boeing’s F15 Silent Eagles, that’s 24 units, a squadron of F16s, and a lead force of 4 F35s. For naval assets, 24 fighting frigates, 6 CGs, 6 destroyers, 6 submarines, 2 command and communication ships. Modern warfare would be chiefly engage in the air and in the seas and conducted by missiles technology.
The Philippines needs to procure the basic implements and assets, both naval and air, needed for a decent and credible defense of the country. This can be accomplished via a smart planning and prioritizing given the limited resources it can allocate for this urgent need. But more importantly for the long term, there is a pressing need to fund an honest to goodness defense industry to serve as the backbone of this security requirement. So, technology transfer should be incorporated in the initial procurements to be sustained with R & D plus training and recruitment of technology experts and professionals from among locals as well as expats. The added advantage to that is the ability to address or absorb a significant portion of the population to alleviate the unemployment problem and harness a thriving industry in a symbiotic manner that would sustain the country’s security needs. I believe the Israeli Defense Industry would be a good prototype or model for this undertaking.
Right steps for AFP and Congress. Submit the wish list to the President and for Congress to appropriate the necessary Funding. Procurements, preferably government to government deal to avoid corruption. Better, technology transfer and let the equipment be locally build and construct to enhance our own defense industries..
Also, please include in the wishlist the freezing and confiscating the ill-gotten wealth of corrupt military officials. There’s too much corruption and scandals during the previous procurements.
Also include FVR for selling portions of Fort Bonifacio for “military modernization”, but ends up in the pockets of corrupt officials