DEFENSE SECRETARY MAKES STRONG PUBLIC CASE FOR PDR

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 04 MANILA 002335 SIPDIS STATE FOR EAP/PMBS NSC FOR GREEN DOD/ISA/AP FOR ALLEN SEOUL FOR ERIC JOHN E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/20/2015 TAGS: MOPS MARR PREL PINS PTER CH RP SUBJECT: DEFENSE SECRETARY MAKES STRONG PUBLIC CASE FOR PDR REF: A. MANILA 1960 ¶B. MANILA 2112 Classified By: (U) Political Officer Paul O'Friel for reasons 1.4(b) and (d). ¶1. (U) SUMMARY. In a major speech at the prestigious Manila Overseas Press Club, Secretary of National Defense Cruz made a strong public pitch for Philippine Defense Reform (PDR), saying it would allow the Philippines to defeat the multiple insurgencies and terrorist threats facing the country. In the subsequent Q&A session, Cruz said Philippine military exchanges with China were a natural part of warming relations between the two countries. He viewed the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) as a "valid legal mechanism" for counterterrorism cooperation with the United States. While open to case-by-case cooperation on specific counterterrorism scenarios, Cruz said the Philippines needed to exercise "sovereign judgment" in determining what was best for the nation's security. He had short shrift for any talk of coups. The AFP is loyal to President Arroyo and will defend the Constitution, Cruz stated. END SUMMARY. $366 MILLION EFFORT FOCUSED ON TEN KEY AREAS -------------- ¶2. (U) In a May 18 address to a packed audience of journalists, diplomats, business executives, and government officials at the prestigious Manila Overseas Press Club, Secretary of National Defense Avelino Cruz said his vision SIPDIS was to transform the Philippine defense establishment into a more effective institution by undertaking a series of comprehensive, systematic reforms. Demonstrating a masterful display of facts, figures, and arguments, Cruz -- backed up by separate presentations by Assistant Secretary for Defense Reform Roberto Nuqui and Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Vice Chief of Staff Vice Admiral Ariston De Los Reyes -- laid out a compelling justification for PDR, promising that it would allow the Philippines to defeat the multiple insurgencies and terrorist threats facing the country in 6-10 years. PDR, budgeted at 4 billion pesos per year for five years (totaling approximately $366 million) -- over and above the regular defense budget -- would focus on ten key areas: -- Implementation of a multi-year defense planning system (MYDPS); -- Improvement of AFP operations and training; -- Improved logistics capability; -- Better staff development; -- Development of an effective AFP personnel management system; -- Implementation of a separately funded Capability Upgrade Program (CUP) for the AFP; -- Improved defense budget system and management controls; -- Creation of a centralized defense acquisition system and staff; -- Enhancement of the AFP's civil military operations; and -- Development of accurate baseline data on critical AFP functional areas. A RESOURCE-DRIVEN PROCESS -------------- ¶3. (U) Having issued the first-ever multi-year Defense Planning Guidance in December 2004, Cruz said he wanted to use multi-year planning to establish a resource-driven process, in which all defense budget proposals would be evaluated according to need. INDIVIDUAL AND UNIT TRAINING A MUST -------------- ¶4. (U) Operations and training were important to PDR's success. Pointing to the AFP training backlog (Note: Some battalions have not undergone any training in over 10 years. End Note),Cruz emphasized that individual and unit training is a must. His goal was to train 12 infantry battalions each year, using Ft. Magsaysay as a National Training Center, supported by two regional training centers in the Visayas and Mindanao. LOGISTICS FOCUSED ON OPERATIONAL READINESS -------------- ¶5. (U) The logistics effort would focus on improved operational readiness and reliability rates for key mobility and combat systems: trucks; aircraft; helicopters; patrol craft; and M105 howitzers. Cruz's target is a 70-percent mission capable rate. STAFF DEVELOPMENT TACKLES FUNDAMENTAL ISSUES -------------- ¶6. (U) Cruz said he intends to recruit 90 hand-picked civilian university graduates to run the PDR's defense resource management and defense acquisitions programs. Broader personnel management improvements would target recruitment, assignments, promotion, tenure of key officers, military justice, separation, and retirement. ¶7. (U) Legislation mandating a three-year tenure for the AFP Chief of Staff had passed the Senate and was under consideration in the House, Cruz noted. Pending legislation, Cruz said he would require the incoming Chief of Staff (the incumbent, General Efren Abu, will retire June 24) to develop a succession plan that would ensure a smooth transition in the leadership of the AFP, services, and combatant commands. He intends to ensure that the next Superintendent of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) -- the Filipino equivalent of West Point -- would serve a full three-year tour in order institute and see through needed reforms. CAPABILITY UPGRADE PROGRAM (CUP) TARGETS CRITICAL INTERNAL SECURITY NEEDS -------------- ¶8. (U) The CUP would be divided into 6, 12, and 18-year segments, with the first two periods focusing on internal security needs: mobility; firepower; communications; and intelligence. Cruz said he had persuaded Department of Budget and Management Secretary Boncodin to begin releasing in January 2005 470 million pesos (approximately $8.6 million) each month into the Modernization Trust Fund to allow the AFP to begin badly needed equipment acquisitions. Cruz hoped to fund the CUP at 5 billion pesos a year (approximately $91 million) for the first six years, 10 billion pesos a year (approximately $183 million) for the next six, with funding increasing to 20 billion pesos a year (approximately $366 million) for the last six years as the AFP's mission transitioned from internal security to territorial defense. Fifteen percent of acquisition costs would be set aside for maintenance, to ensure equipment could be maintained and supported over its life cycle. ¶9. (U) Equipment acquisition would occur within a new environment governed by improved financial controls and a professional acquisition work force. Cruz noted he had reduced the number of acquisition panels from 119 to a single Bids and Awards Committee co-chaired by the AFP Vice Chief of Staff and the DND Undersecretary for Acquisition. AMBITIOUS CIVIL MILITARY PROGRAM PLANNED -------------- ¶10. (U) Cruz plans an ambitious civil military operations program entitled "Kalayaan" ("Freedom") that would provide roads, water, electricity, and schools to 500 at-risk barangays (communities) each year, with the objective of re-establishing the link between the people and the government in areas controlled by the insurgents. INFORMATION MANAGEMENT NETWORK ENVISIONED -------------- ¶11. (U) Tying all the above elements together would be an information management network. Cruz admitted, however, that he had still had not found the right Chief Information Officer for the job. QUALITY OF LIFE ISSUES ON CRUZ'S AGENDA, TOO -------------- ¶12. (U) Cruz said he also intends to use PDR to address quality of life issues. He plans a pilot project in June 2005 that would begin to tackle the problem of enlisted and officer housing. The AFP has identified excess property at one of its camps on which it will build through a public-private partnership 100 homes for troops and their families. If this template succeeds, Cruz said he would replicate it at other camps. He plans as well to develop legislation creating a new matching pension fund for soldiers, which Senator Biazon, a former AFP Chief of Staff, has promised to sponsor. CALL FOR JOURNALISTS TO SUPPORT PDR -------------- ¶13. (U) Cruz called on journalists to support PDR, asking them to report on it factually. PDR would help people regain their faith in the nation and unite them in a common cause. "Help us find solutions," Cruz asked, saying the AFP was transforming while performing its missions. COUNTING THE SUCCESSES -------------- ¶14. (U) Speaking separately from Cruz, Assistant Secretary for Defense Reform Roberto Nuqui listed PDR successes thus far: -- Issuance of the first-ever Defense Planning Guidance; -- Creation of a single Bids and Awards Committee; -- Streamlining of the AFP "J" staff, including abolishment of the comptroller position (J6) and the consequent reassignment of 500 personnel from headquarters slots to operational units; -- Ending the practice of "conversion," or off-budget expenditures; -- Establishment of the Joint Special Operations Group (JSOG) as the AFP's elite counterterrorism unit; -- Increased operational readiness rates for C-130 aircraft and UH-1H helicopters; -- Training 15 senior non-commissioned officers (NCOs) at US NCO schools in Hawaii to as the core cadre of the AFP's NCO Academy; -- Training 3,000 soldiers in combat lifesaving skills, with procurement of individual medical kits underway; -- Training four Philippine Air Force (PAF) helicopter pilots in night flying skills; -- Initial development of an aero-medical evacuation capability; and -- Development of a forward medical service support unit, which will be deployed to Jolo in later 2004. ¶15. (U) Several themes figured in Nuqui's presentation: -- "Defense capability is a national investment;" -- "Realistic, systematic, and strategic reforms;" -- "Simplification is the key to efficiency;" and -- "Strategic partnerships contribute to operational capacities." Nuqui stressed that the AFP/DND partnership for reform was strong, and based on the principles of transparency and accountability, with quantitative measures of success. The support of US experts had been key to the process. Policy and legislation were needed to institutionalize the reforms, Nuqui stated, adding that the DND was preparing a new National Defense Act to replace the nearly 70-years old existing defense legislation. Q&A: CHINA DEFENSE TALKS "LOGICAL OFFSHOOT" TO WARMING RELATIONS -------------- ¶16. (U) In the following Q&A session, Cruz deftly fielded some hard questions from journalists. Asked whether the Philippines was "playing the China card" in its military exchanges with Beijing, Cruz said the developing ties, which included the upcoming visit in late May of PLA Chief of the General Staff Liang Guanglie, were a "logical offshoot" to the warming relations between the two countries. The objective, Cruz stated, was to open lines of communication. He suggested the Chinese-Filipino security dialogue might include disaster management and anti-terrorism, adding that the GRP hoped to use the PRC's promised $1.2 million engineering equipment grant for the "Kalayaan" road building program. VFA VALID "LEGAL MECHANISM" FOR COUNTERTERRORISM COOPERATION -------------- ¶17. (U) Cruz rejected any call to alter the US-Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT),which continued to serve its purpose. "It worked in the past; it works now," he stated. While the GRP was studying the possibility of pursuing multilateral treaties with ASEAN members, Australia, and the United States on such issues as counterterrorism, transnational crime, and disaster relief, the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) provided a "valid legal mechanism" for counterterrorism cooperation with the United States, Cruz stated. While open, within the framework of the Philippine Constitution, to case-by-case cooperation on specific counterterrorism scenarios, Cruz said the Philippines needed to exercise its "sovereign judgment" in determining what is best for the AFP and the nation's security. SHORT SHRIFT FOR COUP TALK -------------- ¶18. (U) Cruz had short shrift for talk of coups. He believed former defense secretary, retired General Fortunato Abat, and other ex-generals had no support within the AFP. The AFP is loyal to the President, he stated, adding, "I'm highly confident the senior leadership believes in defending the Constitution." Implementing PDR and the CUP, which addressed the recommendations of the Feliciano Commission Report following the July 2003 mutiny, would serve as the best antidote for "alternatives outside the Constitution" and "ideas that don't work." CONDEMNATION OF ATTACKS ON JOURNALISTS -------------- ¶19. (U) Asked to condemn the recent spate of attacks against journalists in the Philippines, Cruz unequivocally stated that the killing of journalists had no place either in the rule of law or a democracy. "Journalists are not enemies of the state," he said. STATUS QUO UNACCEPTABLE -------------- ¶20. (U) Challenged on his promise to end the insurgencies in the Philippines within 10 years, Cruz forcefully stated that the status quo was unacceptable. "If we want to be part of the 21st Century, we have to end this drag on our economic growth," he said. COMMENT -------------- ¶21. (C) Cruz was in top form, with a demonstrated command of the intricacies of defense reform. Although he discussed PDR with reporters during one of President Arroyo's press conferences a few months ago, the May 18 presentation was clearly a well thought through effort at strategic communications to educate Manila's elite on the reform program and build support for it. Cruz appears to have his hand firmly on the pulse of the AFP. According to his chief aide, Undersecretary for Legal and Special Concerns Rodel Cruz, Cruz regularly meets with the senior AFP leadership, and we will follow with interest how he influences the choice of the next AFP Chief of Staff, who will be key to implementing PDR. Visit Embassy Manila's Classified website: http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eap/manila/index. cfm MUSSOMELI