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Priam Nepomuceno
MANILA – Philippine Army (PA) chief Lt. Gen. Antonio Nafarrete said the Army Artillery Regiment will be reconfigured into an Artillery Command and will feature an air defense capability.
"(Army) Artillery Regiment will become Artillery Command, so dadagdag din tayo ng capabilities more on air defense naman yung dadagdag natin doon sa artillery (we will add more capabilities, we will add air defense into the artillery)," he said during an interview with select reporters Monday.
Presently, the Army Artillery Regiment is equipped with a variety of howitzers and mortar systems that are used to support troops in the field.
Some of its more visible weapons are the ATMOS 155mm self-propelled howitzers, 155mm tracked howitzers, 155mm towed howitzers, 105mm towed howitzers, 81mm and 60mm mortars, to name a few.
Nafarrete also said that they are now looking at "medium range" weapons systems for their proposed air defense capabilities.
"Sa (for the) Army it's more of medium range yung pinaplano natin (that we are planning to get), Strategic Command na yung bahala sa long range (will be the ones responsible for long range systems)," the PA chief said.
He did not identify the systems they are evaluating for their air defense systems for security reasons, but said these are a mixture of guns and missile systems.
"When you say air defense system, kasama yung (that includes) anti-air, anti-drone, within our land domain," Nafarrete said.
The PA chief added that they are constantly making "organizational reforms to meet the demands of modern warfare."
"So we have reorganization in terms of structure, in terms of structure, in terms of developing concepts, in terms of equipping, training," he said.
PA spokesperson Col. Louie Dema-ala, in an interview with the Philippine News Agency (PNA), said the Army is looking to develop an air defense capability that would allow the service to support the Comprehensive Archipelagic Defense Concept (CADC) now being operationalized by the country's military forces.
"We have proposed air defense capabilities. This is not only for force protection but also to project our force within the 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ)," Dema-ala said.
This is in response to PNA's queries on whether the service is planning to acquire weapons and platforms designed to neutralize threats coming from the air.
CADC is a strategic shift where the AFP is tasked to defend all Philippine territories, including its 200-nautical-mile EEZ. Having a potent anti-air capability,
Dema-ala said this will allow the PA to undertake missions in support of the CADC.
Asked about the possible platforms the PA is planning to acquire, Dema-ala declined to comment as "he is not privy to the discussions." (PNA)
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