Three Phases of AFP Modernization Cost P300B

Three phases modernization need PhP 300 billion (photo : PN2020)

Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief of Staff General Gregorio Pio Catapang said on Friday, October 3 that approximately PhP300 billion is needed to complete three phases of AFP modernization.

“We can think of it like boxing where the first horizon is the bantamweight, then the second horizon is the middleweight, and eventually the third horizon is heavyweight,” General Catapang explained.

First phase of the modernization, currently ongoing, will attain minimum credible defense posture. Department of National Defense already awarded several contracts to supply military hardware including 12 units FA-50s, 2 strategic sea-lift vessels, number of attack helicopters and 3 medium lift fixed wing aircraft. DND is currently in the later stage of acquiring frigates and air defense radar systems.

DND is also acquiring anti-submarine helicopters, close air support aircraft and patrol aircraft as part of first phase.

“The second horizon is another P85-P100 billion which will take six years, while the third horizon is P100-P125 billion and another six years for military hardware and also bases development,” the AFP chief said.

For the second phase, DND is eyeing to acquire multi-role fighter jets as part of the phase. The phase is expected to kick-off coming 2018.

(AngMalaya)

4 ‪‎Japanese‬ ‪‎firms‬ shortlisted for ‪Philippine‬ Coast Guard project

MANILA‬, -- Four Japanese firms have been shortlisted for the bidding of the Philippine Coast Guard's P8 billion maritime safety capability improvement project.
The Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) identified the four companies as Japan Marine United Co., Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd, Nigata Shipbuilding and Repair Inc., and Sumidagawa Shipyard Co. Inc.
The project covers the purchase of 10 multi-role response vessels that will be used around the coastal areas in the Philippines.

Philippines to Spend P15 B for Two Ships, P2.5 B for Ammunition

Navantia ship model during ADAS 2014 exhibition (photo : Roy Kabanlit)

MANILA, Philippines - The defense department will spend P2.5 billion for the ammunition of the two frigates it will acquire for the Philippine Navy.

Defense Assistant Secretary Patrick Velez said security officials have decided to separate the purchase of ammunition from the frigate acquisition project, citing international arms restrictions.

“There will be two (projects). The acquisition of armaments will be treated as a separate project,” Velez told The STAR in a recent interview.

“You cannot combine the offensive portion and the actual building of the ship. The ammunition will require about P2.5 billion,” he added.

Velez said they could not award the project to shipyards that do not manufacture missiles.

Before it was divided into two, the frigate acquisition project had an approved budget of P18 billion. About P2.5 billion of the outlay was allotted for the ships’ armaments.

Now that the project has been divided into two lots, the budget for the two ships stands at P15.5 billion.

Sources told The STAR defense department might consider negotiated procurement for the ammunition to ensure that the armaments are compatible with the ships to be acquired.

Defense officials are about to finish the technical discussions for the project and will hold the bidding for the project within the year.

A total of six companies are qualified to submit bids for the project. They are Navantia Sepi (RTR Ventures) of Spain, South Korean firms STX Offshore & Shipbuilding, Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co. Ltd. and Hyundai Heavy Industries, Inc.; Indian firm Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers Ltd. and French company STX France SA.

The frigate acquisition project is among the big-ticket items in the Armed Forces Modernization Program.

The ships can be used to boost the Philippines’ security presence in the West Philippine Sea, repatriate migrant workers and respond to calamities.

The two ships to be acquired for the Navy are expected to complement the BRP Gregorio del Pilar and the BRP Ramon Alcaraz, the two vessels purchased from the United States.

(PhilStar)

PH planning to acquire 3 submarines, other military assets - report

MANILA - The Philippines plans to acquire three submarines and among many other military assets, Northern Luzon Command head Major Gen. Gregorio Pio Catapang says in a paper cited by the state-run Philippine News Agency.

PNA quoted Catapang as noting that submarines, by their inherent stealth capabilities, may be deployed to monitor and protect the country's extensive maritime domains. The vessels being eyed are conventional-powered or diesel-electric types, and not the nuclear-powered ones.

Also supposedly being eyed is the acquisition of six frigates for anti-air warfare, 12 corvettes for anti-submarine warfare, 18 offshore patrol vessels, and three anti-mine warfare ships.

The PNA said Catapang's paper did not specify when and how much it will cost the Philippines to complete these acquisitions.

An earlier Philippine Navy (PN) study revealed that some P497 billion is needed to fully upgrade its fleet.

Once it has this money, the Navy will acquire the above-mentioned items along with four sealift vessels, 18 landing craft utility vessels, three logistics ships, 12 coastal interdiction patrol boats, 30 patrol gunboats, and 42 multi-purpose assault craft that can be equipped with torpedoes and missiles.

Also envisioned are eight amphibious maritime patrol aircraft, 18 naval helicopters, and eight multi-purpose helicopters.

"Looking at the PN's inventory of mission essential equipment, it is very discernible that the majority of our assets and vessels were acquired not necessarily because they fit into our strategy or operational requirement but because they are available as grant from the US or from our allies," the PN study said.

http://www.interaksyon.com/article/72226/beefing-up--ph-planning-to-acquire-3-submarines-other-military-assets

Indonesia's PT PAL Signs Contract to Supply Strategic Sealift Vessels to the Philippines

Indonesian shipbuilder PT PAL has signed a contract to supply two strategic sealift vessels (SSVs) to the Philippine Navy (PN). (image : Defense Studies)

PT PAL executive Edy Andarto confirmed to IHS Jane's on 17 July that the contract - worth USD92 million - was signed with the PN in June and calls for the vessels to be supplied in 2016 and 2017.

The contract also stipulates a requirement for PT PAL to provide an integrated support package that will enable Philippine industry to undertake maintenance and support of the SSVs in partnership with the PN.

Discussions over the SSV contract had continued since January when PT PAL emerged as the sole bidder in the programme.

(Jane's)

Philippines beefs up its coast guard

Direct source: Defence studies

BRP San Juan (56 meter) a Tenix class patrol vessel (photo : Timawa)

MANILA, Philippines—The Philippine Coast Guard is to hire an additional 1,000 uniformed personnel this year and 2,000 more in the next two years to meet its goal of having a “10,000-strong command” by the end of President Benigno Aquino III’s term in 2016.

The PCG, an agency attached to the Department of Transportation and Communication, has only 606 officers and 6,143 enlisted personnel tasked to guard the country’s more than 36,000 kilometers of coastline and thousands of coastal communities depending on the nation’s marine resources.

“This year, recruiting at least 1,000 uniformed personnel is our target,” Cmdr. Armand Balilo, the PCG spokesperson, told the INQUIRER in a telephone interview Wednesday. “But our bigger goal is to have 10,000 uniformed personnel within the next three years. Ideally, we should have that number of personnel.”

An undisclosed number of new recruits will be assigned to the PCG’s new search-and-rescue base in Roxas City in Capiz, Balilo said.

Ten 40-meter patrol vessel are expected to be delivered three in 2015 and seven in  2016 (photo : militaryphotos)


He said that “with the ongoing personnel recruitment program, the command has also started preparing for the manning of the 10 brand-new patrol boats that we’re getting from Japan in the next two years.”

The command expects delivery of two to three of the 10 patrol vessels by the third quarter of 2015. The seven other 40-meter (131-foot) boats would be delivered the following year.

In December, Malacañang announced that the Japan International Cooperation Agency would provide a $184-million soft loan for the PCG’s acquisition of the vessels to boost the country’s maritime security.

The Coast Guard’s current fleet consists of nine boats, which are mainly utilized in search-and-rescue operations.

Some PCG personnel also man several vessels belonging to the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources in the campaign against illegal fishing and poaching in the country’s territorial waters.

Aside from its uniformed personnel, the agency has 299 civilian employees plus some 6,000 auxiliaries or volunteers nationwide who help it promote safety at sea and protect the marine environment, among other things.

From only P2 billion in 2010, the PCG’s annual budget now stands at more than P4.3 billion.

Balilo pointed out that the PCG’s “increased budget” would boost the command’s operational and administrative capabilities.

He expressed confidence they would get another budget increase next year, saying, “it’s a good thing we’re getting full support from the government.”

The command, he added, is “in a better position to enforce Republic Act No. 9983,” or the Coast Guard Act of 2009, which aims to further enhance maritime safety and prevent sea tragedies.

(Inquirer)

Philippines, US begin joint military exercises

Troops from the Philippines and the United States formally began their annual joint military exercises — dubbed Balikatan — on Monday.The 30th annual joint military drill will involve 3,000 Filipino soldiers and 2,500 American soldiers.Philippine and US officials attended the opening ceremony of the Balikatan exercises in Camp Aguinaldo, in the Philippine capital region of Metro Manila.

"This year's Balikatan exercises will zero in towards enhancing our combined capacity to undertake humanitarian assistance and disaster response as well as to deal with maritime security," said Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin in his speech during the opening ceremony.US Ambassador to the Philippines Philip Goldberg, for his part, said this year's Balikatan is "significant," particularly since it is being held after the Enhanced Cooperation Defense Agreement was forged by Manila and Washington last month.

The annual joint military exercises will run until May 16.The staff planning exercises are scheduled to be held in Camp Aguinaldo and in Western Command, the western Philippine city of Puerto Princesa. Field training exercises will be conducted in military camps in northern Philippines.

http://www.wantchinatimes.com/news-subclass-cnt.aspx?id=20140505000099&cid=1101&MainCatID=0

Beijing calls for stability as US, Philippines begin drill

China on Monday called for efforts to safeguard peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region in response to ongoing joint military exercises run by the United States and the Philippines."It is in the common interests of all parties concerned to maintain peace and stability in Asia and the Pacific, which demands constructive efforts by all parties," foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said at a daily press briefing.

"(We) hope that actions taken by the United States and the Philippines will go in this direction as well," said the spokeswoman, urging the two countries to do things "conducive to building mutual trust among countries and maintaining peace and stability in the region."Troops from the Philippines and the United States formally began on Monday their annual joint military exercises, dubbed Balikatan (or "shoulder-to-shoulder").

The 30th annual joint military drill will involve 3,000 Filipino soldiers and 2,500 American soldiers.

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American and Philippine marines have launched a joint maneuver in the Philippines' northern island of Luzon amid a territorial dispute between the south Asian country and China.The 10-day exercise, now in its 29th year, kicked off on Monday with the participation of about 2,600 troops from the US and 1,200 from Philippines.

The maneuver will include "live-fire exercises, a simulated helicopter raid, a demonstration of American aircraft capabilities, disaster preparedness drills and public service activities." "Today, we stand side by side as we face common threats," said American Brigadier General Craig Q. Timberlake at the opening ceremony held on the US amphibious assault ship Bonhomme Richard in Subic Bay - a former US naval base. The deputy commander of the Philippine armed forces, Brigadier General Remigio C. Valdez said that the exercise has no relation with his country's territorial dispute with China over islands lying near rich energy deposits in the South China Sea.

"Technological advancement is at the heart of its goal," Valdez said.
The Philippines said on Monday Subic Bay could play a key role as a hub for American ships while Washington is trying to strengthen its naval presence in the Asia-Pacific. "There are very few ports that can accommodate naval assets and naval carriers, and one of them is Subic," said Edilberto Adan, the head of the Philippines' Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) commission. "As the US begins to implement (the shift), Subic will play an important role because it is one of the important facilities that can service their presence in the Pacific," the former general added.

http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2012/10/09/265692/philippines-us-start-10day-maneuver/

S. Korea to donate warships and boats to Philippines

Source: www.ibtimes.co.uk 

South Korea will be donating a lightly armed warship to the Philippines after its decommission by the end of this year, the Philippine Foreign Affairs Department said Thursday.

In a statement, the department said that South Korean Defense Minister Kim Kwang Jin announced the donation of one of its Pohang-class corvettes to the Philippine Navy when he met with Philippine Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin in Seoul last Friday.

"Minister Kim said South Korea's gesture is a small token compared with the great contribution of Filipino troops during the Korean War," the statement said, adding that the donation is "yet another sign of the two countries' growing defense cooperation."

South Korea has already agreed to give the Philippines a landing craft utility and 16 rubber boats.

The Philippine Navy's biggest ships are frigates, two of which were acquired in recent years from the United States, while it also has three offshore patrol vessels.

South Korea is giving the Philippine Navy a transport ship, Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin said Monday.Seoul will also send 16 rubber boats and computers.Gazmin went to Seoul Thursday to meet with his South Korean counterpart, Kim Kwan-jin."They gave an LCU (Landing Craft Utility), rubber boats, and computers," said Gazmin, who returned to Manila last Saturday.He did not immediately say when the equipment will arrive in the Philippines.Gazmin also discussed humanitarian assistance and disaster response with Kim.

He also expressed his gratitude for the role of South Korean troops in the ongoing rehabilitation of typhoon-hit Eastern Visayas.At least 500 South Korean troops arrived in Leyte last December to help in the construction of structures, including school buildings.They are due to return to South Korea by December this year.The transport ship will boost the capability of the Navy, Gazmin said. It can be used in the transport of troops for operations, and relief goods intended for calamity victims.Last March, Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief Gen. Emmanuel Bautista signed a P18.9-billion contract with Korean Aerospace Industries for the supply of 12 FA-50 fighter jets for the Philippine Air Force.