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Senior Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and U.S. military officers, along with
representatives from both governments, attend a brief during HANDA 2003, a bilateral seminar on combating terrorism held at Camp Aginaldo in Manila, Philippines. (L to R) are AFP Vice Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Roldolfo C. Garcia: Undersecretary Abraham A. Purugganan, Deputy Presidential Adviser for Special Concerns; Maj. Gen Jose L. Reyes, Director of AFP Joint Staff Plans (J5) Department and HANDA Co-Director; Gen. Narciso L. Abaya, AFP Chief of Staff; and Brig. Gen. David P. Fridovich, Deputy Director of Operations at U.S. Pacific Command and HANDA Co-Director. |
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HANDA, or “be prepared,” is a Republic of the Philippines (RP)-U.S. seminar on combating terrorism. The ninth in this regularly scheduled seminar was held at Camp Aguinaldo, Manila. Seminar working groups of Philippine and U.S. military, law enforcement, and interagency participants considered how best to operate and support a Joint Task Force to defend critical infrastructures from terrorism.
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| Brig. Gen. David P. Fridovich, Deputy Director of Operations at U.S. Pacific Command and HANDA Co-Director, briefs participants on strategic guidance for the seminar working groups. |
More than 150 members of various RP and U.S. government agencies and departments participated in the seminar. Philippine participants included members from the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and representatives from the Office of the Executive Secretary, the Presidential Management Staff, the Office of the Press Secretary, and the National Security Council. Participating for the first time were members from the private sector, the office of the RP President, and the new cabinet-level RP Presidential Office of Special Concerns that coordinates anti-terrorist plans and activities across agencies and departments of the Philippine government.
Officials from the U.S. Embassy and U.S. Pacific Command (USPACOM) represented the United States. The principal U.S. participants were members of USPACOM’s Joint Interagency Coordination Group for Combating Terrorism (JIACG/CT).
HANDA is one facet of the ongoing Philippine and U.S. effort for mutual preparedness and mutual defense against terrorism. Other initiatives include the U.S. military’s Security Assistance program in Mindanao Province, and participation in the Multinational Planning Augmentation Team (MPAT) program. An MPAT is a cadre of military planners from nations with Asia-Pacific interests capable of rapidly augmenting a multinational force headquarters. Such a headquarters plans and executes multinational coalition operations for military operations other than war and small-scale contingencies.
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| Maj. Gen. Jose L. Reyes, Director of AFP Joint Staff Plans (J5) Department and HANDA Co-Director, provides initial guidance during HANDA 2003. |
While previous HANDA seminars involved generic scenarios, the ninth seminar focused on defending existing infrastructure critical to the well being of all Filipinos. It tested the ability of the Philippine and U.S. staffs to integrate their respective plans and activities. Participants analyzed basic assumptions and developed courses of action from which respective national leaders could select the best options. The process is called “mission analysis” and is a key planning tool common to both AFP and U.S. forces. The participation of several private sector companies, along with Philippine military and government participants, added realism and value to the seminar and to the interagency process.
“A major benefit of the interagency process is having the ability to mobilize our agencies and the populace to a higher level of cohesion; allowing us to undertake greater tasks and to achieve our goals with the highest efficiency,” noted Maj. Gen. Jose L. Reyes, Director of AFP Joint Staff Plans (J5) Department and HANDA Co-Director.
“An interagency approach gives you the ability to solve problems through a variety of means,” said Brig. Gen. David Fridovich, Deputy Director for Operations at USPACOM, and HANDA Co-Director. “With an interagency solution you’ve increased your tool kit and enhanced your ability to meet a desired end-state.” He added, “We fit right into each others processes, due in large part to the multinational force standard operating procedures developed at MPAT and exercised here. The MPAT tools came to the forefront during HANDA 2003 and proved that we can come here during a crisis if we’re asked to and develop a supportable, synchronized, and integrated plan with our allies.”
Many RP and U.S. participants have worked together in the past and find that seminars such as HANDA are important to building the continuity needed for maintaining strong bilateral relationships. “You have to view this [seminar] as a continuum – a continued development of our relationship that has only improved over time,” observed Brig. Gen. Fridovich.
Gen. Narciso Abaya, AFP Chief of Staff, presided over the closing ceremony, accompanied by Under Secretary for the new RP Presidential Office of Special Concerns, the Honorable Mr. Abraham Purugganan. In his concluding remarks, Under Secretary Purugganan noted the value of participating civilian agencies, “It is an indication of the effort of the government to improve its response mechanism, in addressing the impact of natural and man-made calamities and the protection of critical infrastructures.”
Commenting on the value of the HANDA seminar, U.S. Navy Capt. Roger Welch, JIACG/CT Director said, “The Global War against Terrorism is not a military-unique conflict. It requires all elements of national power, to include the national police, departments of justice, energy and information, among others. These seminars improve our institutions and processes. They help to streamline decision-making.”
Also noting the significance of the seminar and the importance of the RP-U.S. relationship, Maj. Gen. Reyes said, “HANDA is a mechanism that provides for closer military-to-military and military-to-civilian cooperation. The seminar improves how our armed forces react to emergencies and execute Mutual Defense Treaty activities, and it enhances the awareness among our officers and interagency staff. Our relationship is very robust, and will continue to be so. We have common interests in the region and against terror. We’re friends and we’re partners.”
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| SU.S. and Philippine military officers and personnel pose for the final photo during the closing ceremony for HANDA 2003. |
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Maj. Guillermo Canedo, USMC, is assigned to USPACOM Public Affairs.
