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Army deploys its latest, and probably most lethal, hardware in fight vs lawless elements in the South
T
By Rene Acosta
HE big guns shipped by the Philippine Army to Mindanao have already reached Maguindanao with the purpose of providing firepower support to the military’s counterterrorism operations there by quelling whatever challenge lawless groups may pose to government.
Central Mindanao, including Maguindanao, is home to the breakaway Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) and its three factions that have allied and pledged their allegiance to the international terrorist group Islamic State (IS), which is behind the infamous siege of Marawi City in Lanao del Sur in 2017.
Who’s the ‘enemy’?
THE region is also home to other local lawless groups and even some
units of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) despite their mother organizations’ signing of separate peace agreements with the government. Just a few weeks back, villagers in Midsayap, North Cotabato, were forced to leave their homes after warring families linked with the MNLF and MILF got entangled in a violent conflict due to a clan war locally known as rido. The eight Autonomous Truck
Autonomous Truck Mounted Howitzer System (ATMOS 2000) 155mm self-propelled guns ready for deployment within the Joint Task Force Central’s area of responsibility after arriving at the Makar Port in General Santos City on September 29, 2022. PHOTO COURTESY OF 6TH INFANTRY DIVISION, PHILIPPINE ARMY
Mounted Howitzer System (ATMOS) 155mm self-propelled guns and their operators, the 10th Field Artillery “Rolling Thunder” Battalion, are already with the Army’s 6th Infantry “Kampilan” Division after arriving at the Makar Port in General Santos in late September. The ATMOS 155mm self-propelled guns were put under op-
erational control of the Joint Task Force Central to support counterterrorism operations, according to 6th Infantry Division commander Major General Roy Galido. The howitzers were transported by a Philippine Navy vessel that sailed from Sangley Point, Cavite City, on September 24, 2022, three days after the send-off ceremony
by defense and military officials led by Department of National Defense (DND) Officer-in-Charge Jose Faustino Jr. and Army Commanding General Lt. Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr.
Army’s biggest gun
GALIDO said the ATMOS is currently the biggest and probably the
most lethal military hardware in the Army’s arsenal. “With automatic loading and a digital fire control, it can deliver accurate fires to a range of up to 41 kilometers,” he explained. “An advantage of ATMOS is that it offers high accuracy and ‘shoot and scoot’ operation, yet can operate on the existing road network and bridges found in the country. They can deploy even in rugged terrain, while being able to respond to mission demands more quickly than towed howitzers,” he added. The batteries of ATMOS were among the latest firepower that the Army acquired in its capability upgrade program under the overall military modernization program where Brawner sought to equip the Army with modern firepower systems, while strengthening and adding up its units. According to Army spokesman Col. Xerxes Trinidad, the Rolling Thunder battalion, which operates the ATMOS, was activated on June 22 this year. Continued on A2
AUTONOMOUS Truck Mounted Howitzer System (ATMOS 2000) 155mm self-propelled guns and their support vehicles arrive at the Makar Port in General Santos City on September 29, 2022. PHOTO COURTESY OF 6TH INFANTRY DIVISION, PHILIPPINE ARMY
PESO EXCHANGE RATES n US 58.9500
n JAPAN 0.4005 n UK 66.8080 n HK 7.5101 n CHINA 8.2216 n SINGAPORE 41.1806 n AUSTRALIA 37.1208 n EU 57.6413 n KOREA 0.0412 n SAUDI ARABIA 15.6928
Source: BSP (October 14, 2022)