PRESIDENT Marcos Jr. yesterday urged the Philippine Army to strive towards becoming an “agile, adaptable, competitive, and world-class force,” adding he expects newly-installed Army chief Lt. Gen. Roy Galido to lead the organization in achieving more milestones, especially in the campaign to end insurgency, terrorism and the “lingering and emerging threats to national security.”
The President, during the Philippine Army Change of Command ceremony in Fort Bonifacio, Taguig, said he has seen the “good work” of Galido and the “successes that have come from that good work” and looks forward to working with him.
“We challenge you to lead and boost your institution’s engagements with our foreign counterparts. I urge the entirety of our Army to enhance your interoperability and communications as well as to learn best practices through joint training and exercises which we intend to further expand,” Marcos said.
“I look forward to your plans to protect our shared identity that our past and present generations have built and to transform the Army into a world-class force that is a source of our country’s security and peace and pride,” he added.
In return, the President reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to support and further modernize the Army and the Armed Forces.
“Hand-in-hand we will work together to heighten the internal and external security of the Philippines to create a more conducive environment for comprehensive growth and empowerment,” he said.
Marcos also thanked Armed Forces Chief of Staff Gen. Romeo Brawner for his contributions to the Army, such as establishing “a firm defense against insurgency and terrorism by dismantling guerrilla fronts and intensifying our peace-building efforts.”
Before becoming the AFP chief, Brawner served as Army commander.
AGILE SOLDIERS
Galido vowed to develop agile Army soldiers and a reserve force needed in defending the country’s sovereignty.
Citing the directives and pronouncements of the President, Galido said: “Our mission is clear — recalibrate our internal security operation and strengthen our organization for territorial defense so we can be responsive (and) relevant amid the volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous security environment.”
Galido said the Army, under his leadership, will revisit its organizational setup, “particularly its manpower distribution and management.
“We will also look at the sustainment of Army forces on a larger scale and, most especially, we will adopt a land maneuver concept that is suited to the defense of our sovereignty with a more agile, adaptive regular and reserve forces,” he said.
Galido also vowed the proper utilization of the financial, logistics, manpower, and time resources of the Army.
“Every resource, every effort, every sacrifice must be aligned with our mission. Anything not mission-related will not find a place in our priority,” said Galido.
He also vowed to further improve the morale of troops, adding soldiers deserve a “good and well-defined” morale program and “not a short-term enjoyment or the so-called solution to loneliness.
“Achieving healthy lifestyle, establishing good working and living environment, good leadership and quality training. All these are priorities because our soldiers’ well-being is the core strength of our force,” he said.
“Most importantly the best morale-boosting activity that we will give our personnel is to make sure when he goes home to his family, the family is happy,” he said. — With Victor Reyes
