AFP to redesign reserve force to complement regular force

Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. said there's an ongoing redesign of the reserve force paradigm of the Armed Forces of the Philippines to "fit in the current security situation" confronted by the country.

Teodoro made the statement during the culmination of the National Reservist Week held at the AFP General Headquarters in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City on Saturday, 30 September.

The defense chief cited the calibration should be based on what the country needs to further improve its credible deterrent posture and the ability to protect its interests, "not only on the ground but particularly in the maritime domain."

"In doing so, this time, we have to rethink our reservists' paradigms. And so we are in the process of redesigning the reserve force based on the leads of the time and not based on an old-dated paradigm…that may not be valid anymore," he added.

Teodoro has ordered the "designing of future reserve force" that should complement the regular force of AFP and ensure service continuity, in which civilian parallels business service continuity "so that there's a subdivision of functions."

The redesigning, he said, also includes effectively tapping of reserve force's various human skills and building up land military civil defense units within communities.

"This is to secure our communities through the benefits of the laws of war that they may not be combatants' end-targets for hostile actions," he added.

Teodoro said he already tasked the Office of the Civil Defense to merge and synergize the development of the civil defense units which will be based in the communities, municipalities and provinces.

These CDUs will manage local disaster risk reduction systems, provide security, and enhance first responders' capabilities in communities, in cooperation with military forces as well as the inclusion of the reserve forces.

"We encourage our reservists to help in formulating plans for our strategic development in the future as this is a collaborative effort," he added.

Meanwhile, AFP Chief Gen Romeo Brawner Jr. said the military organization is open to the redesigning reserve force paradigm.

"Well, we welcome that. Because we saw that the problems we are confronting now in our country are really different from the previous problems we faced before—this time, we are facing more challenges that are global in nature," he said in a media interview.

Brawner pointed out that the AFP is not only focusing on improving the reserve force organization but also working on the enhancement of the military's regular force.

"We wanted to develop our total force. That means the reserve force and regular force are not separated from each other. We are one Armed Forces of the Philippines, if ever that emergency or any threat comes to our country…reserve forces, even the citizens of our country should get together, and work together for the defense of our country and for the promotion of our national interest," he said.

This effort would help the entire country in addressing emerging security threats, whether internal or external, he added.

Further, Brawner confirmed the AFP still plans to tap fishermen in the West Philippine Sea to become part of the military reserve force.

"Yes. In fact, many fisherfolk have already expressed willingness to help us. It doesn't mean that have to fight because they were in the area. That's not the concept," he said.

"But they can help us in terms of gathering information and making sure that we have a presence in those areas so we can say that those areas are ours," he added.

Earlier, AFP Western Command Chief Vice Adm. Alberto Carlos the military is exerting key efforts to further improve the country's presence in its territorial waters.

Carlos said AFP is eyeing to increase Filipino boats and fishermen in the country's exclusive economic zone in WPS.

"We have ongoing efforts to convince our Filipino fishermen to fish in the WPS para ma-exercise natin 'yung atin (so we can exercise our) sovereign rights to fish," he said.

Carlos said among these efforts include the effective control of all islands now occupied by the Philippines in the WPS, establishing a stronger naval presence, and enhancing maritime domain awareness in these areas.

The AFP previously reported more than 400 foreign vessels are swarming in the features of WPS, including the massive destruction of corals in Rozul Reef and Escoda Shoal after the resurgence of foreign ships in the area.