DND releases approved list of military assets to be bought under second horizon
The Department of National Defense (DND) on Wednesday released the list of military assets and equipment approved by President Rodrigo Duterte to be acquired under the second horizon of the revised modernization program of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).
DND spokesman Arsenio Andolong said based on the approved list the acquisition of the submarines for the Philippine Navy was moved to the second horizon.
“It’s no longer (on the third horizon) it (submarines) was pushed here. No,w how this will come to be that is what should be studied now,” he said.
“After it was approved by the presiden,t the DND and Department of Budget (DBM) and Management will discuss how to fund these projects but I think the approval covers the roughly 300 billion pesos,” he added.
Although DND Secretary Delfin Lorenzana had confirmed the government has started to look for countries that will possibly supply submarines, he added the acquisition of submarines for the Philippine Navy is part of the third horizon of the AFP modernization which is expected to run from 2023 to 2028.
Andolong did not explain why the acquisition of submarines were moved to the second horizon which is expected to run from 2018 to 2022 but he noted the Flag Officer in Command (FOIC) of the Philippine Navy has emphasized the need to acquire submarines.
“From the third horizon, it was moved forward, because, credit to Admiral Robert Empedrad he has foresight. I believe we really need submarines because it’s an equalizer in terms of our arsenal,” he said.
Although the second horizon was approved by the president, Andolong said there are other assets and equipment under the first horizon that has to be acquired for the military.
“The second horizon is supposed to be our transition period from internal security operations (first horizon) to territorial defense, so we're somewhere in between,” he said.
“We have procurements that were delayed from the first horizon. We are still working for that but in theory, we should be starting the second horizon already,” he added.
Based on the list aside from the submarines, others assets like frigates, corvettes, amphibious assault vehicles, anti-submarine helicopters, attack crafts, medium lift helicopters and multi-role vessels were set to acquire for the Philippine Navy under the second horizon.
The Philippine Air Force will have multi-role fighter aircraft, radar system, light utility aircraft, medium lift aircraft, heavy lift aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles, attack and combat utility helicopters, special mission long range patrol aircraft and trainer aircraft.
The Philippine Army will have howitzers, multiple launch rocket system, light tanks, armored recovery vehicles, fire support vehicles, tactical radios, ground mobility equipment, individual weapons, crew-served weapons and night fighting system.
Other equipment under the second horizon includes combat engineering, force protection, EOD ( Explosive Ordnance Disposal), CBRN (Chemical, Biological, Radiological) equipment, HADR ( Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief) and medical equipment.
Andolong said because of the movement, the list of equipment that will be acquired under the third horizon of the AFP modernization has to be studied.
“Well the third horizon has to be studied and discussed because the mix has changed, there was movement, so that will allow us to now plan for what we need in the third horizon,” he said.
“The third horizon presupposes that we’ve already reached that level of the credible defense posture so we will now be concentrating on territorial defense already, but of course we still have our internal security operations that are ongoing. That is one that delays our modernization because our attention is being divided,” he added. Robina Asido/ DMS
