Navy’s new frigates, OPV to expand patrol reach

The newly commissioned guided missile frigates BRP Miguel Malvar (FFG-06) and BRP Diego Silang (FFG-07), along with the soon-to-be commissioned offshore patrol vessel (OPV) BRP Rajah Sulayman (PS-20), will enhance the Philippine Navy’s (PN) reach and patrol capability to protect the country’s vast maritime domain.

“With the addition of more ships, we will be able to extend the operational reach of the Navy across the maritime domain,” PN spokesperson Capt. Marissa Martinez said Thursday.

Martinez said the arrival of brand-new naval assets will allow the PN to create more Surface Action Groups (SAGs) when needed. “Having more ships also means expanding options for forming SAG(s),” she added.

“SAG is already practiced in the Navy… and it is employed depending on the mission it will undertake. During exercises ginagawa din ito,” Martinez said.

She described SAGs as ad hoc formations “organized to accomplish a specific mission for a defined period, and based on the threat environment.”

The guided missile frigates were commissioned on May 20 and Dec. 2 last year, respectively, while the OPV held its welcoming ceremony on Jan. 20. These additions reinforce the two Jose Rizal-class guided missile frigates placed in service in 2020 and 2021, considered the PN’s first modern surface combatants.

Five more OPV sister ships of BRP Rajah Lakandula are expected to be delivered within the next two to three years.

Meanwhile, the Philippine Army (PA) said it is modernizing and refining its anti-armor capabilities in light of ongoing global conflicts, including the war between Ukraine and Russia.

“The PA already possesses an established anti-armor capability through existing anti-tank weapons, doctrine, and trained units,” Army spokesperson Col. Louie Dema-ala said. “What it is doing now is enhancing and modernizing that capability.”

“Lessons from recent conflicts, including Ukraine, are being observed to inform training and doctrine,” he added.