Defence Strengthens Counter-Terrorism Cooperation With The Philippines

[gf0012-aust]

A small team of ADF Special Forces personnel is deploying to the Philippines in coming weeks to continue non-lethal, counter-terrorism training with the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

This training is being undertaken as part of an annual exercise known as Dawn Caracha, conducted under Australia’s Defence Cooperation Program with the Philippines.

The exercise represents Australia’s ongoing commitment to assist the professional development of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, particularly in dealing with the threat from terrorism in the region.

Exercise Dawn Caracha aims to provide skills that assist the Philippines in its efforts to protect its citizens and visitors to the country against terrorist attack.

This year, the exercise focuses on command group training, the use of night vision aids, medical assistance and weapons safety.

Australia enjoys a strong and long-standing defence relationship with the Philippines. The ADF’s training and exercise programs with regional forces are valuable ways of maintaining and strengthening these relationships.

ADF Special Forces are held in high regard by our regional neighbors and this exercise is another demonstration of that.



(Source: Australian Department of Defence; issued July 4, 2004)

 

[Aussie Digger]

I wonder if our specwarops will "go with" the Phillipine Special Forces on ops, but act merely as "observers" in the way US Special Forces do? I wouldn't completely rule it out. I recall the SASR being deployed to Kuwait in 1998 for Operation "Desert Fox". Officially they were deployed as a "combat search and rescue" capability (despite not deploying with helo's or C-130's...) Next thing you see official photo's of SASR troopers armed with Barret 0.50Cal sniper rifles, hardly the weapon of choice for a quick rescue mission...

 

[gf0012-aust]

I wonder if our specwarops will "go with" the Phillipine Special Forces on ops, but act merely as "observers" in the way US Special Forces do? I wouldn't completely rule it out. I recall the SASR being deployed to Kuwait in 1998 for Operation "Desert Fox". Officially they were deployed as a "combat search and rescue" capability (despite not deploying with helo's or C-130's...) Next thing you see official photo's of SASR troopers armed with Barret 0.50Cal sniper rifles, hardly the weapon of choice for a quick rescue mission...

It wouldn't surprise me if we had someone attached to them, there's a lot of reciprocity that goes on for "abnormal" tours. eg The Jervis Bay looked like a tourist bus at one stage with all the foreign naval personnel on board checking it out and underway etc...

 

[Pathfinder-X]

In my view, Philippines military are poorly trained(at least the majority of them are). They have trouble cracking down on their own insurgents who are nothing more than poorly trained(if anything at all) bandits with guns. I've seen picture of Philippino soldiers on patrol outside the town of Vigan, their uniform looks dirty, one of them didn't even tie his shoe laces. Besides the under-trained troops, there is also this problem of the corrupted government. Many officials have connections to insurgents which is making the situation more difficult.

 

[adroth]

They have trouble cracking down on their own insurgents who are nothing more than poorly trained(if anything at all) bandits with guns.

Counter insurgency is a very complicated business. Its not as simple as you imply.

Here's an example. The spokesman for the communist insurgency, who has now joined mainstream politics, actually admitted that by the mid-90s the communist New People's Army had been all but wiped out. Combat operations as part of Operation Lambat-Bitag -- a process whereby the armed forces would clear areas of rebel influence, thereby allowing other areas of government to improve the living conditions of the people -- had taken their toll.

The problem was, the "improvement of living conditions" part was not handled properly. So the people who had already been won over either became apathetic or re-joined the rebs. Now the commies are back in force.

The ragged look and the state of training are all signs that the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) has been at war for too long. The insurgency has been going on for 40 years now. When in action, you want your best troops in the front -- which leaves the less than good ones in the rear to handle training and the like. That may be fine in the short term, but it has consequences down the road. When your on that road for as long as we have, then this is what you get.

The current Capability Upgrade Program of the Department of National Defense has completely put off the modernization plans hatched in the closing years of the 90's, and has chosen to focus on the basics.

All 10 Infantry Divisions are due to go through a massive retraining program that will take another three years to complete. Evaluations handed in by US Army Special Forces trainers revealed that many of our regular troops (not our special forces, scout rangers, etc.) were deficient in even troop movement basics. The AFP is working to address that.

During the campaign against the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in 2000, where Philippine Army armored units were used against hardened positions (which the AFP tolerated until that time) en masse for the first time in decades. Muslim succesionists have a penchant for fixed bases and massed formations -- and get overrun every time. We never get to use armor against the commies.

Lessons learned during that conflict exposed major gaps in armored operations capabilities. These are slowly being addressed, and the hitherto Philippine Army Light Armored Brigade (LABde) was turned into the Light Armored Division last September in anticipation of new acquisitions. No MBTs though . . . these are useless for current COIN ops.