THE Army has plans to deploy soldiers to the contested West Philippine Sea (WPS) in the South China Sea where the Philippines is occupying nine features, the largest of which is Pag-asa Island, Army chief Lt. Gen. Roy Galido said in a briefing on Tuesday.
The planned deployment comes amid the military’s transition to territorial defense operations from internal security operations.
The South China Sea is being claimed almost entirely by China. The Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan, and Vietnam claim parts of the sea.
Galido, asked when the deployment will happen, said, “Soon.”
Army spokesman Col. Louie Dema-ala said the Army has no presence in the WPS but it has troops assigned to the Palawan-based AFP Western Command (Wescom) which is supervising military operations in province and in the entire WPS.
“There is no Army unit deployed in the islands,” he said referring to the nine features, “but we have personnel assigned with Wescom for monitoring.”
Troops assigned to the nine features are mostly Navy and Marines personnel.
Galido said an Army battalion can be transported any time to any place in the country.
“As you’ve learned and based on our `Katihan’ exercises, the Army right now is highly mobile and very agile. A battalion-size, a 500-man unit can always be lifted anytime and can be brought to any place in our country,” he said.
The Katihan is an annual training activity meant to enhance the capability of the Army to rapidly deploy a large number of troops from one area to another.
Galido said Army and Navy personnel have conducted cross-training exercises and they can complement each other in seaborne operations.
Galido acknowledged the Navy has a “unique capability when it comes to seaborne operations.”
He said the Army’s Special Forces units “also have that capability.”
