Present and future nature of external threats
THE Department of National Defense (DND) announced last week that it would enter into 138 military contracts worth P70 billion in the next five years that are aimed to boost the decrepit assets of the Armed Forces of the Philippines ( AFP), particularly those of the Air Force and Navy. In another development that week, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) expressed the government’s willingness to have an increase in joint military exercises with the United States, as well as US troops rotating through the Philippines. Just a month ago, upon his assumption as AFP Chief of Staff, Gen. Jesse Dellosa, vowed to continuously push for the modernization of the AFP and put emphasis on building up the Air Force and Navy’s capabilities.
From all indications, the Armed Forces will be setting its sights on its primary role of securing the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity against external threats. It is a role that has been put in the sidelines for quite some time, owing to the problems brought about by our internal peace and security situation.
Confronted with threats coming from communist insurgents, secessionist groups, and lately from the Abu Sayyaf and other ragtag terror groups, the military has devoted a substantial portion of its existence trying to contain the threat posed by these elements against national security. Much of the training, equipment procurement and strategic planning efforts were devoted and meant toward addressing low- level conflicts brought about by internal adversaries. External security needs were not a priority, for the flimsy reason that the country is not confronted with immediate threats from neighboring countries. This fallacy was reinforced further by the presence of the US military bases back then before they were evicted by virtue of a legislative act in accordance with our fundamental law.
US military bases were source of complacency
If not for the eviction of the US military bases 20 years ago after a half- century stay in our country, defense policymakers would not have realized that we have been too much dependent on a longtime ally for our external security needs. With the most powerful military in the world guarding our backyard and an insurgency threat brewing in the countryside, defense policymakers back then trained the focus of the AFP in the containment of immediate threats. External defense has become the least of our policy concern. Sad to say, this guiding principle continued to linger, long after the last American foot soldier left the Philippines. We continued to harbor thoughts that our good diplomatic relations with our regional neighbors will be enough to shield the country from all possible external threats. We have become parochial in our thoughts and myopic in our perspective.
The new world order
In our current state of affairs, we have witnessed the settling in of a new world order, i.e. globalization. Never in mankind’s history have we seen countries become more interconnected with each other. Thanks to advances in communications and information technology, it is not impossible for the political, economic, and social affairs of one state to affect not only the countries it directly deals with, but also others in the global sphere. Globalization has granted individuals almost-unlimited access to information, ans as a result brought progress within the grasp of those who have the will to take advantage of this novel world set-up. Unfortunately, globalization also brought advances to threats to the external security of each state. Unscrupulous groups and individuals have utilized the technological progress brought by globalization to further their malevolent ends. Thus we see a rise in transnational crimes like human trafficking, high-seas piracy, smuggling, and global terrorism aided by the same technological advances brought by the new world order.
Nature of current and future threats
It is thus imperative that the modernization thrust of the Armed Froces in the next five years should take into account the context of the current world order. It has to prepare itself for new and unconventional threats that can easily transcend our traditional boundaries. Defense strategists should take into account that with modern technology waging warfare nowadays is not limited to the conventional way of launching superior military forces against an adversary to bring it into submission. Gone are the days when definite battle lines were drawn between adversaries. In today’s warfare, nations can be brought down to their knees through modern technology. Furthermore, some external threat elements have managed to surreptitiously infiltrate our boundaries and have established links with local threat groups. In a way, there is now no clear definition of what is purely an external or local threat. Nevertheless, those who have the creativity and innovativeness to utilize this technology will definitely win in the end. Mental prowess, rather than pure brawn, will always be the deciding factor in the battlefield.
While the procurement of traditional modern military hardware is still necessary, defense planners should not limit modernization on this aspect alone. Capacity building of the individual soldiers on the dynamics of the new world order should likewise be emphasized. Each individual soldier must be given a thorough understanding of the vital role that information and knowledge play in conflict situations. Thus, gaining knowledge about advances in the field of communications and information technology should also be given premium.
The funds laid down in the next five years for the military’s modernization is quite a substantial amount. It thus behooves on our defense planners to be circumspect in taking into account the kind of external threats that we will be facing in the near and immediate future. I say it is a must, if we expect to be able to meet head-on the challenges facing us ahead.