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| Southeast Asia |
| Australia to donate hardware to RP military |
| 2007-05-30 |
| THE Australian government will donate military hardware to the ill-equipped Armed Forces as part of is modernization program. The Australian donation is part of a new defense cooperation agreement that Manila and Canberra recently completed following months of talks. Defense Assistant Secretary for Strategic Assessment, Ma. Joji Aragon told a press briefing in Camp Aguinaldo Tuesday the Australian government will donate 28 boats to the Philippine military. She said the vessels will be equipped with a Global Positioning System and can run in shallow waters. “There is a timeframe to thatÂ…I believed towards the end of the year they [Australia] will be delivering the first tranche to us, to the Army in particular,” Aragon said. Defense and military officials said the vessels, which are called “airboats,” are high speed and highly maneuveÂrable that can carry up to seven fully armed soldiers. The boats will be highly useful in shallow waters and marshlands, a typical terrain in the Philippine countryside. Aside from the airboats, which are worth around $4 million, the Australian defense department will continue its annual training grant worth AU$3 million to Philippine military personnel. Defense Secretary Ricardo Blancaflor said the Status of Visiting Forces Agreement (SOFVA) will be signed during President ArroyoÂ’s visit to Australia. The SOVFA will not automatically see the deployment of Australian troops to the Philippines as the agreement will need to be approved by the Philippine Senate. Australian Assistant Defense Secretary Ben Coleman told a press briefing in Manila Tuesday that the accord was needed because “we have a common interest in terms of a peaceful and secure region.” “In particular, we are dealing with common threats from terrorists in the region,” he said without naming any group. The Muslim extremist group Jemaah Islamiah (JI) has been described by both the Australian and US governments as the biggest single terrorist threat to the security of the region. JI has been blamed for some of the worst terrorist attacks in the region in recent years including an attack in Bali, Indonesia, in 2002 which left more than 200 dead, many of them Australians. JI militants are believed to be hiding in the southern Philippines and aiding local Muslim extremists. Coleman said it was “premature” to discuss any date for the deployment of Australian troops in the Philippines or the locations for possible joint exercises in the country. |
| Posted by:Pappy |