Another good news for the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
Mutual Defense treaty ally United States of America gave the
AFP its much needed boost in terms of ammunitions and explosives. It may be
recalled the Marawi siege last year made a significant toll on the stocks in
the SFP’s inventory and any help it can get from allied countries is greatly appreciated
by the modernizing AFP.
The AFP who is in the middle of its modernization program
relies heavily in western weapons principally from the donations of the United
States of America. It is only now , under the administration of President
Rodrigo Duterte the Philippines is looking for other suppliers in military
hardware- Russia, China and India to name a few. *
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| US recently delivered to the AFP unspecified numbers of explosives and ammunition for the country's anti-terrorism operations.(photo credit to PhilStar) |
In a statement prepared by the US Embassy in Manila,
representatives form the Joint United States Military Assistance Group (JUSMAG)
delivered the ammunition and explosives to the Philippine forces through the
Mutual Logistics Support Agreement (MLSA) last January 18.
“These transfers help further the military interoperability,
readiness, and effectiveness of both the US and the Philippines,” the US
embassy said.
The Mutual Logistics Support Agreement (MLSA) , is the
vehicle that pave the way for the Armed
Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to receive select munitions and equipment from
US military stock through an accelerated purchase process reserved for allies
and close partners of the United States.
But for security purposes the US embassy did not disclose
the amount or quantity of the new ammunition and explosives delivery to the
AFP.
“The
United States is a proud and steadfast ally of the Philippines and will
continue to engage in mutually beneficial military cooperation to enhance the
capabilities of our forces,” the Embassy said.
The
prepared statement further states that, the latest delivery is one of many made
recently by the US through the MLSA, that directly support AFP members engaged
in counterterrorism operations.
A couple
of weeks ago the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), reported that the US intensified
its military mission in the Philippines after the latter requested for more
assistance in defeating the ISIS-backed insurgents that laid siege the Islamic city
of Marawi. *
The reports
states that the Pentagon had reportedly renamed its anti-terrorism mission in
the Philippines from “Operation Enduring Freedom-Philippines” to “Operation
Pacific Eagle,” marking a new phase of counterterrorism efforts here and in the
region.
Report
from Manila Bulletin
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