Philippines Defence Forum

[Fsjal]

That's only a proof that Philippine maritime security is very weak.

The Philippines has 7,100+ islands. These poachers will go on intruding Philippine territory because they know the Philippines has no capability to patrol the seas.

The Philippines is naked and very vulnerable to any foreign intrusion.

It will take time for the country to get some clothes on. For now, the US could help up modernize the navy, and maybe send some warships there.

 

[Fsjal]

Intrusion of 2 unidentified aircraft highlights need for military upgrade -- PHL military


The overflight by two unidentified aircraft, at high speed and altitude, over Pag-asa Island, highlights the need for the Philippine military to upgrade its equipment and facilities.

"(The overflight of two unidentified aircraft) highlights the need of the AFP to upgrade itself so that it can at least have a minimum credible deterrent," AFP Western Command head Maj. Gen. Rustico Guerrero said.

He added he is hoping the ongoing modernization programs of the military will address these needs so that Philippine borders can be protected.

Badly needed items by the AFP include "space" (surveillance) radars, modern interceptor aircraft and naval vessels with anti-ship and aircraft capability.

Guerrero said they have yet to identify the type of aircraft that flew over Pag-asa Island last April 4. "We cannot ascertain its type or the country where it originated because it was flying too fast and too high for our ground-based monitoring units," he stressed.

Pag-asa island is part of the Kalayaan Island Group over which the Philippines exercises territorial sovereignty, jurisdiction and effective administration in accordance with international law. Both aircraft were headed north and came over from a southwest direction.
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Looks like our airspace is compromised. The military definitely needs modernization

http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/asianet/130409/intrusion-2-unidentified-aircraft-highlights-need-military-upgrade-phl-


The overflight by two unidentified aircraft, at high speed and altitude, over Pag-asa Island, highlights the need for the Philippine military to upgrade its equipment and facilities.

"(The overflight of two unidentified aircraft) highlights the need of the AFP to upgrade itself so that it can at least have a minimum credible deterrent," AFP Western Command head Maj. Gen. Rustico Guerrero said.

He added he is hoping the ongoing modernization programs of the military will address these needs so that Philippine borders can be protected.

Badly needed items by the AFP include "space" (surveillance) radars, modern interceptor aircraft and naval vessels with anti-ship and aircraft capability.

Guerrero said they have yet to identify the type of aircraft that flew over Pag-asa Island last April 4. "We cannot ascertain its type or the country where it originated because it was flying too fast and too high for our ground-based monitoring units," he stressed.

Pag-asa island is part of the Kalayaan Island Group over which the Philippines exercises territorial sovereignty, jurisdiction and effective administration in accordance with international law. Both aircraft were headed north and came over from a southwest direction.
---------------
Looks like our airspace is compromised. The military definitely needs modernization

 

[Zero_wing]

and why do you care false flager?

 

[Malaya]

This is a wake call to the Gov't agency responsible in guarding our territories. It's been reported that these Chinese are likely to have been spying. If that is the case then this a more serious matter than simply illegal fishing and attempting to pervert the course of justice by corruption and bribery, these men need to be investigated. The Chinese are invading the Philippine waters and there is no resistance... a weak Coastguard and Navy. No lessons lessons from the Guardian incident it appears

 

[Fsjal]

and why do you care false flager?

'cause I care. Do you like it when foreigners stray into our territory.

 

[Malaya]

As territorial disputes mount, Philippine Navy working on anti-submarine capabilities

By Priam Nepomuceno, Philippine News Agency
April 13, 2013

MANILA, Philippines - As territorial worries, and actual incursions, fester around the Philippines' sea-bounded borders, the Philippine Navy this week announced that it is developing its anti-submarine warfare (ASW) capabilities to complement existing defense capacities.

Lt. Cmdr. Gregory Fabic, Navy spokesperson, said the long-term goal is to develop the navy's capability to detect, locate and if necessary, destroy submarines found intruding in the country's territorial waters.

"We have plans for (developing) an ASW capability but it is still in the long-term plans. This is part of the PN's 'Active Archipelagic Defense Strategy'. We are looking at ship mounted and helo (helicopter) ASW capability," Fabic said.

The PN said it had achieved a "significant milestone" in this regard with the signing of the contract with AgustaWestland, for the delivery of three AW-109 "Power" helicopters by 2014. "The PN finds it to be a significant development in line with the (ongoing) modernization program and capability upgrade."

The AW-109 "Power" helicopters will enhance the PN's capability in various naval operations such as maritime security patrols and search-and-rescue among others. "These helicopters are just a few among the list of future acquisition for the PN in order to attain its vision of becoming a strong and credible Navy that our maritime nation can be proud of," Fabic said.

The Philippines acknowledges that it has very limited capacity to patrol and guard its borders. It only recently acquired a refitted Coast Guard ship from the US for the Philippine Navy, while the Philippine Air Force has only begun to refleet an obsolete and out-of-commission squadron. In the face of all of these, the porous Philippine borders, particularly along the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) has seen a rise of incursions from Chinese vessels. The Philippines, China, and other countries within Southeast Asia stake overlapping claims over certain portions of the South China Sea.

As territorial disputes mount, Philippine Navy working on anti-submarine capabilities - InterAksyon.com

 

[Fsjal]

http://www.philstar.com/nation/2013/04/08/928367/military-loses-200-firearms-zamboanga-blaze


MANILA, Philippines - The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) lost more than 200 assault rifles and machine guns in a fire that razed its firearms supply building in Zamboanga del Sur over the weekend.

Belated reports reaching the Armed Forces of the Philippines' main headquarters in Camp Aguinaldo said that the blaze that hit the 1st Infantry Division Training Unit (IDTU) Supply building at Upper Labangan, Pulacan in Pagadian City, started with an explosion.

the blaze took place shortly after midnight on Saturday.

The firearms lost in the blaze include a caliber .50 and a caliber .30 machine guns, an M60 machine gun, 51 M-14 assault rifles,* one M-653 rifle, an M4 rifle, one M-79 grenade launcher, four M16 with M203 grenade launcher, two spare barrels for M60 machine guns, 131 pieces of M16 assault rifles, four K-3 assault rifles (Minimi), four spare barrels for K3 rifles and five caliber .45 pistols.

Initial investigation conducted by fire investigators showed that faulty electrical wiring could have caused the blaze.

There was no mention, however, about the explosion prior to the blaze on the findings filed by Senior Fire Officer 1 (SFO1) Richard Cafino.
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Oh dear me

 

[Malaya]

Manila offers US its military bases in case of North Korea war
By: Agence France-Presse
April 13, 2013

MANILA—The US would be allowed to station forces at military bases in the Philippines if it went to war with North Korea, Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario said Saturday citing a treaty between the allies.

"Our mutual defence treaty calls for joint action if either the Philippines or the United States is attacked," del Rosario said in comments sent to AFP at a time of heightened tensions on the Korean peninsula.

"It would then be logical to assume that in the event of an attack on the Philippines or on our treaty ally, the US would be allowed to use our bases," he added.

Del Rosario was responding to a question about whether the archipelago, a former US colony, would allow the stationing of American troops on its soil in case war broke out between the US and North Korea.

The Korean peninsula has been engulfed by escalating military tensions and dire threats of nuclear war since North Korea conducted a rocket test last December and a nuclear test in February.

On Friday Philippine Defence Secretary Voltaire Gazmin said the government was prepared to undertake "extreme measures" including allowing US bases in the country, in the event of an "extreme emergency" on the Korean peninsula.

The US and Philippines are allied by a 1951 mutual defence treaty.

In the early 1990s US forces vacated Clark Air Base and Subic Naval Base, two large facilities used during the Vietnam War, after a disagreement over rents.

In recent years the Philippines has been seeking to improve its defence ties with the United States amid a festering territorial dispute with China over parts of the South China Sea.

Some of its facilities are being used in ongoing annual joint military exercises between the Philippines and the United States, where the Pentagon deployed a dozen F/A-18 Hornet fighter jets.

More than 8,000 Filipino and US troops are taking part in the 12-day drills which end on Wednesday.

 

[Bob Ong]

This is a wake call to the Gov't agency responsible in guarding our territories. It's been reported that these Chinese are likely to have been spying. If that is the case then this a more serious matter than simply illegal fishing and attempting to pervert the course of justice by corruption and bribery, these men need to be investigated. The Chinese are invading the Philippine waters and there is no resistance... a weak Coastguard and Navy. No lessons lessons from the Guardian incident it appears

Palau, our tiny neighbor in east sea of the Philippines, arrested Chinese poachers and prosecuted them with dignity without hesitation in spite of massive pressure from Chinese government. I hope we can stand too with dignity as a sovereign country from their huge pressure. Yes it is also possible they are spying to check Philippine water for the use of submarine tsk tsk

 

[Malaya]

US smart bombs used in Sulu attack
BY MARIA A. RESSA

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippines’ first smart bomb attack on February 2 on Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiyah terrorists was the result of 15 months of training and technology transfer from the United States to Filipino forces.

The information below was gathered over more than a year from military officers and civilian intelligence sources in at least 3 different countries.

This is a type of Scan Eagle, an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). It is equipped with high resolution, day and night camera and thermal imager.

In the early morning hours of February 2, a Scan Eagle unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) showed a joint team of US and Filipino soldiers a live feed of what was happening on the ground inside the camp of a senior Abu Sayyaf leader in Parang, Sulu.

They watched the thermal image of their "military asset" - a double agent - and compared what he was texting them with the images they were watching. The asset texted the location and pattern of movements of the people around him – information the soldiers verified through the thermal images they saw. When he texted that he was leaving the camp, the soldiers watched his thermal image walk away.

Scan eagles, also known as drones, have been operating in the Philippines for many years now.

Although originally flown from US navy ships and operated by civilian contractors, there are smaller drones operated by US special forces. Don’t mistake these for the Predator drones and Global Hawks carrying hell fire missiles that killed Al-Qaeda and other terrorist targets in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

In the Philippines, drones are used only for surveillance.

This was confirmed by Philippine President Benigno Aquino III on Tuesday largely because a drone strike handled by the Americans may violate the Philippine Constitution. US troops, Mr Aquino said, “are here as advisers. They are here as trainers. They cannot participate in combat operations.”

Which is exactly what they have been doing.

The US military arrived in the Philippines in February 2002, dubbed the second front in its “war against terrorism.” At its peak, US troops reached 1,200, including 660 US special forces.

The military alliance also includes technology transfer.

In mid-2010, Washington pledged $18.4 million of precision-guided missiles funded under a US Congressional Act, which allowed its defense department to train and equip foreign military allies.

A classified document from the Philippines is explicit: "Fiscal year 2010 assistance for the Philippines provides a precision-guided missile capability to assist Philippine Armed Forces' counter-terrorism efforts in southern regions to combat the activities of the Jemaah Islamiyah and Abu Sayyaf Group."

November arrival

The first smart bombs, PGMs or Precision-Guided Munitions kits, arrived in the Philippines on November 1, 2010.

According to a technical timeline obtained by Rappler, Philippine Air Force pilots sat down with subject matter experts to lay out a training plan in December.

Weapons training began the following year, on Jan 24, 2011.

Two months later, aircraft installation & training started, leading to test drops which were scheduled to begin in May of the same year.

On June 20, 2011, the US delivered at least 22 more PGM kits to the Philippine military.

During this period, US defense contractor Raytheon, the company which makes the PGMs, visited the Philippines 3 times, according to the documents.

Finally, on Feb 2, 2012, after nearly 8 months of training, the Philippines deployed its first smart bombs.

Target: JI in Sulu

The targets had long been under surveillance: the 2 most senior Jemaah Islamiyah or JI leaders in the Philippines sheltered by Abu Sayyaf leader Umbra Jumdail, better known as Doc Abu.

They are Malaysian Zulkifli bin Hir, better known as Marwan, who carried a $5-M reward on his head from the US government, and Singaporean Mohammed Abdullah Ali, known as Muawiyah, who had a $500,000 reward for his capture or death.

“There was a target that was of high enough value with actionable intelligence and the right conditions that would warrant its use,” said a military source privy to the operations. “These are expensive devices so they are used for the right targets at the right time.”

There was a long, involved process to get to this point, governed by protocols set by both nations, according to documents obtained by Rappler.

The Philippines and the US followed 2 levels of clearance and parallel approval processes.

First, ground commanders from both nations identify a target. For the Americans, its Joint-Special Operations Task Force-Philippines (JSOTF-P) then coordinates with the US Embassy before getting approval from SOCPAC, the Special Operations Command, Pacific in Hawaii.

After SOCPAC approves, it alerts the US Pacific Command (PACOM). Then it goes back to JSOTF-P which then notifies its Philippine counterpart of concurrence for the target.

On the Philippine side, the commander of the Joint Task Force Comet (Sulu's military unit) coordinates with the Western Mindanao Command (WESTMINCOM) and when US concurrence happens, WESTMINCOM approves the target and authorizes execution by Filipino troops.

Between 2 and 3 am on February 2, Philippine Air Force OV-10 Broncos dropped the 227 kg (500 lb) bombs in the strike zone in a remote village in Parang, Sulu, demolishing much of the area.

In the dark

The first signal that new technology was used was the choice of when to drop the bombs.

In the past, planes could only drop their payload during daylight because pilots used visual cues.

Now the smart bombs can strike in the dark because they are guided by GPS or a homing device.

About 45 minutes after the bombing, the military asset texted his handlers that he would check “the targets.”

Sources said they watched a thermal image move back to the area. His text said that Doc Abu had been “obliterated.” Marwan was allegedly “cut in half from the waist,” while Muawiyah was barely breathing with blood gushing out of a deep neck wound.

Based on that, the Philippine military announced the deaths of these key leaders.

Wrong info

But it now appears that the asset was wrong about Marwan and Muawiyah.

Civilian and military intelligence reports from at least 3 countries show both JI leaders are still alive.

Last week, Malaysia's chief counterterrorism official Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay said Marwan was still alive.

Philippine military spokesman Col Arnulfo Marcelo Burgos maintained his position the JI leaders are dead and said Malaysia should provide "conclusive proof of life."

On the use of smart bombs, there are conflicting responses from the Philippines.

Col. Burgos, based in Manila, said the military "neither confirms nor denies the existence of such munitions citing operational security reasons. However, its pilots have been training vigorously to further improve their proficiency particularly in the precise delivery of munitions to its identified target."

Col Jose Cenabre, the head of Sulu's Task Force Comet, categorically denied the use of smart bombs: "I strongly deny that. That's just talk. We did not use them."

However, Lt Col Miguel Ernesto Okol, spokesman of the Philippine Air Force, told Rappler: “Our pilots’ accuracy in the past was not good. They were not adept, but now with considerable time training and through the advice of our allies, particularly the US military, we are able to increase the accuracy of our pilots to 80 to 90%.” - with reports from David Santos/Rappler.com

 

[Malaya]

Palau, our tiny neighbor in east sea of the Philippines, arrested Chinese poachers and prosecuted them with dignity without hesitation in spite of massive pressure from Chinese government. I hope we can stand too with dignity as a sovereign country from their huge pressure. Yes it is also possible they are spying to check Philippine water for the use of submarine tsk tsk

Korek. I've had enough of these Chinese men who take advantage at the weakness and laxity of other nations.

 

[Malaya]

Ospreys conduct first external lift from USNS Sacagawea

SUBIC BAY, Philippines - An MV-22B Osprey conducts the first external lift of a Humvee from the USNS Sacagawea (T-AKE 2) April 11 at Subic Bay, Republic of the Philippines, during exercise Freedom Banner 2013. Freedom Banner is an annual Maritime Prepositioning Force exercise that demonstrates the Marine Corps and Navy's capability of generating and sustaining combat power ashore. Unlike other MPF vessels, T-AKE class ships provide sea-based, selective off-load sustainment capability and a high bandwidth organic communications infrastructure, allowing a Marine Expeditionary Brigade to tailor sustainment packages ashore. The Osprey is with Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 265, Marine Aircraft Group 36, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, III Marine Expeditionary Force, and assigned to 3rd Marine Expeditionary Brigade for FB13.

 

[Malaya]

Armed Forces of the Philippines gets $1.8-B more

The Armed Forces of the Philippines gets P75 billion more (about $1.8 billion) to buy fighter aircraft, transport aircraft, helicopters, naval vessels and other equipment.

This is on top of the P28 billion (about $678 million) President Benigno Aquino released 3 years ago. The defense allocation is part of Aquino's efforts to build a "minimum credible defense posture" as deterrent to any aggressive action against the Philippines.

The Philippines and other neighboring countries are engaged in disputes with China over the South China Sea (West Philippine Sea). Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile said the military budget is insufficient given the Philippines' security issues. He recommended allocating the biggest share of the national budget to defense instead of education. Under the Philippine Constitution, the government is mandated to give education the biggest budgetary share. Defense expenditure under the Aquino government is almost 3 times bigger than the combined amount spent by the three previous administrations, with only P33 billion (about $800 million) spent during the past 15 years.

http://www.rappler.com/thewrap/april-15,-2013-edition/armed-forces-of-the-philippines-gets-$1-8-b-more

 

[Bob Ong]

Korek. I've had enough of these Chinese men who take advantage at the weakness and laxity of other nations.

They must have been frequenting these reef and this is the only time they got caught because they got trapped.

 

[Bob Ong]

China row on agenda of Bolkiah-Aquino talks
By TJ Burgonio, Jaymee T. Gamil
Philippine Daily Inquirer

MANILA, Philippines—The sultan of Brunei Haji Hassanal Bolkiah flew in Monday for a 24-hour state visit to the Philippines, ahead of next week’s 22nd summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) in Brunei.

The sultan arrived at Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 2 on a private flight around 3:40 p.m. He disembarked from the Royal Brunei airbus to a red-carpet welcome from Vice President Jejomar Binay, among other VIPs.

A copy of his itinerary released to the media by the Presidential Communication Operations Office showed that Bolkiah will begin his official activities at 10:20 a.m. Tuesday, with a wreath-laying at the Rizal monument at Rizal Park. Bolkiah will then motor to Malacañang to pay a courtesy call on President Aquino.

He is expected at Malacañang at 10:45 a.m.

The Palace said the two leaders will tackle Brunei’s chairmanship of the summit on April 24 and 25 in Bandar Seri Bagawan. The South China Sea conflict looms large on the agenda of their meeting.

The President will then host a state luncheon for Bolkiah and his delegation in Malacañang’s Rizal Hall, where both will deliver remarks. Bolkiah is scheduled to fly out at 3 p.m.

In the recent Asean Ministerial Meeting, Asean foreign ministers stressed the importance of a peaceful resolution to the standoff in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) by the claimant countries, including the Philippines, Brunei, Vietnam and Malaysia.

Asean member countries are looking to Brunei to mediate a common position on the conflict with the signing of a code of conduct to minimize the risk of conflict in the international waterway.

“Brunei is going to be the chairman, I think, of the Asean. So as to what the details will be, that’s something that will be taken up during the bilateral meeting,” said Secretary Edwin Lacierda, presidential spokesman, in a briefing.

Code of conduct

Lacierda could not say if the code of conduct would be tackled during the courtesy call, saying that as far as he knew, Asean member countries would draft this first, and then ask China to take a look at it.

“We’ll see first,” he said of the agreement by foreign ministers from Asean and China to hold a special meeting on the progress of the code of conduct.

In their recent meeting, Asean foreign ministers reiterated the importance of maintaining peace, stability, mutual trust and cooperation to enhance maritime security and the need for self-restraint in the South China Sea conflict.

They also vowed to work actively with China for the early completion of the code of conduct.

Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario was quoted in reports as saying the Philippines would focus on “solidarity so that we can take a stronger position and we are pushing for the expedition of the code of conduct on the South China Sea.”

He said the Philippines was urging the “early conclusion of the code of conduct.”

Brunei has vowed to pursue a binding code of conduct among competing South China Sea claimants during its Asean chairmanship.

Apart from the four Asean member countries, Taiwan is also claiming parts of what the Philippines calls the West Philippine Sea.

Stressing importance

At the Asean summit in November last year, Aquino underlined the Philippines’ multilateral approach to the row and stressed the importance of adopting a code of conduct for the waterway.

At that summit, Aquino rebuked Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen for his statement that the regional bloc had agreed not to internationalize the issue.

Aquino said that five countries backed the Philippine position on the importance of a code of conduct with China. China maintained that the Asean was not the proper forum for this.

China claims sovereignty over nearly all of the sea, which is believed to sit atop vast amounts of oil and gas and is one of the region’s most important fishing grounds and to shipping lanes that are vital to global trade.

In the July 2012 Asean summit in Phnom Penh, Cambodia was accused of blocking efforts by the Philippines and Vietnam to take a more aggressive position against China. The meeting ended without a joint communiqué, a first in the regional bloc’s history.