THE month-long celebration of the 127th Anniversary of the Philippine Army has officially concluded alongside the conclusion of the Combined Arms Training Exercise (CATEX) Katihan.
Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr., AFP Chief of Staff Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr., along with other officials and former commanding officers of the Philippine Army attended the event.
During the celebration, the Philippine Army showcased its equipment and its 4,000-strong personnel.
One of the highlights of the celebration was the free fall demonstration, showcasing the soldiers’ ability to reach a location without being detected by enemies.
According to Ltgen. Roy Galido, Commander of the Philippine Army, this is their first celebration held outside Manila because they wanted to show the enormity of their force.
“It is the first time because the concept right now is to feel the real army. You noticed that there’s a lot of [troops] in the army, just imagine if we brought the 4,000 [personnel] to Manila. And the army really needs space to showcase our capability— the capability of the Philippine Army,” said LtGen. Roy Galido, Commander, PA
The Philippine Army aims to hone the military’s capabilities in all aspects through a comprehensive archipelagic concept.
To achieve this, they have laid out numerous training exercises and programs for this year.
“Our comprehensive archipelagic concept entails that our capabilities should not only be limited to land but should also extend to the waters within our territory. In conjunction with other services such as the navy, coast guard, and air force, because we also have to project our capability to defend our maritime features,” added Galido.
Meanwhile, AFP Chief of Staff Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. wants the military to have a multi-role, which means that the Philippine Army should know how to operate in all domains, including the cyber domain.
“Well, what ‘multi-role’ means is that the Philippine Army will be able to perform in any situation facing any threat and in any domain. What I mean by domain is that we have the air, the sea, and the land domain, but this time we also have the cyber domain. All of these require the Philippine Army to excel in combat in all of these domains,” said Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr., Chief of Staff, AFP.
As for DND Sec. Teodoro, alongside the changes to be made in the Armed Forces of the Philippines, all forces must be equal in responding to the threats facing the Philippines.
“Back then, everything depended on the Philippine Army basically because in internal security operations, all our forces, including the Navy and Air Force, became support for ground operations. now, it’s equal. We call it multi-mission, which means multi-threat, whether internal or external. That’s what we want to happen in our three forces,” said Sec. Gilberto Teodoro Jr., Department of National Defense.
