The Philippines is called "the country of seven thousand islands." The former Spanish colony, which in the first half of the twentieth century managed to be under the control of the United States, is a populous and multinational state. More than 105 million people live here. In terms of population, the Philippines is the twelfth largest in the world. The inhabitants of the country belong to dozens of different nationalities, the most numerous of which are Tagals, who make up more than a quarter of the country's population (28, 1%). Like many other states of Southeast Asia, the Philippines is faced with a number of internal contradictions, primarily on political and ethno-confessional grounds.
Almost since the end of the Second World War, a sluggish civil war has been going on in the country. The Philippine government has two main opponents who prefer to speak to the authorities in the language of guerrilla warfare. First, these are the communist guerrillas - armed groups of the Maoist and Trotskyist wing, fighting to create a communist state on the territory of the Philippines. The largest such formation is the New People's Army of the Philippines (NPA). Secondly, these are the nationalist and religious armed organizations of the so-called "Moro" ("Moors") - Filipino Muslims who live compactly in the south of the country and advocate autonomy, if not complete independence from the central government.
The protracted civil war waged by communists, separatists and Islamists against the central government poses many problems for the Philippine leadership. To begin with, it does not control a number of inland areas on some of the islands where the so-called "liberated territories" exist. Secondly, the presence of many thousands of armed opposition in the country is always a very serious threat to the existing political system. That is why the Philippine authorities have always paid the most serious attention to the organization, training and arming of army and police units designed to confront the dangerous internal enemy - the guerrilla groups.
Background
In fact, the prototype of the Philippine special forces appeared over a hundred years ago. As you know, at the turn of the XIX-XX centuries. the people of the Philippines fought first against the Spanish colonialists, and then against the Americans. The forceful superiority of the American army forced the Philippine revolutionary command to reconsider the foundations of the tactics of their units and create detachments focused on the guerrilla type of warfare. At the origins of these units was General Antonio Luna de San Pedro (1866-1899), a pharmacist by profession, but famous as a talented military leader and organizer of the armed forces. He was also the creator of the first Philippine National Military Academy. General Antonio Luna created the "Archers of the Moon" unit, the backbone of which was made up of former Filipino soldiers who served in the Spanish army and went over to the side of the revolution. They were more prepared than the fighters of the other revolutionary units. On February 11, 1899, eight infantrymen who had previously served in the Spanish army were recruited into the Philippine army. Later the detachment grew in number. The Archers of the Moon became famous for their bravery and combat skills during the numerous battles of the Philippine-American War. During the Battle of Paye on December 18, 1899, it was they who killed the American General Henry Lawton.
Another similar unit operated in the Philippine Revolutionary Army - the Rosendo Simon de Pajarillo detachment. It was created from ten volunteers who enlisted in the Philippine army. Later, the number of the detachment increased to 50 people and he switched to partisan operations in the territory occupied by American troops. Finally, one cannot fail to mention the "Black Guard" detachment, which was commanded by Lieutenant Garcia. This partisan sabotage formation of 25 people was also created on the initiative of the Moon. The tasks of the "Black Guard" were to carry out sabotage raids behind enemy lines. Despite the fact that Luna repeatedly suggested increasing the size and power of the detachment, Lieutenant Garcia refused, preferring to work with his usual personnel.
Ranger Scouts - Men in Black
After the declaration of independence of the Philippines, the first units of the Philippine special operations forces began to form in the middle of the twentieth century precisely to fight the rebels in the jungle of the "seven thousand islands". They were created as part of the Philippine Army (Ground Forces). Anti-guerrilla warfare has become the main profile of the Filipino "commandos", their calling card, because for almost seven decades of incessant confrontation with the communist and then Islamic guerrillas, Filipino soldiers and officers have gained serious experience in this matter. One of the best anti-guerrilla units in the world is the First Scout Ranger Regiment. It was founded on November 25, 1950 under the command of Raphael M. Ileto (1920-2003). The regiment's name was adopted in honor of the American Rangers and Filipino Scouts who were in the American service. The regiment's mission was to confront the People's Anti-Japanese Army (Hukbalahap), a guerrilla armed group controlled by the Communist Party of the Philippines.
Rafael M. Ileto, the first Filipino Ranger commander, entered the University of the Philippines for an engineering degree after graduation, but two years later transferred to the Philippine Military Academy, and then to the United States Military Academy at West Point under a foreign cadet program. In 1943, Ileto completed a crash course and was assigned the rank of second lieutenant to the 1st Philippine Infantry Regiment, stationed in California. Later, the regiment was transferred to the jungle of New Guinea, where Ileto continued to serve in the ranks of the famous Alamo Scouts. He participated in numerous battles in New Guinea, in the Philippine Islands. In 1947 he was transferred to Okinawa, but soon retired.
In 1950, Ileto was reinstated in the Philippine army. An educated officer with decent combat experience was assigned to create and lead the 1st Ranger Scout Regiment. Captain Ileto held the post of unit commander until 1955, and later made a rapid military career. Ileto has served as a staff officer, chief of operations for the National Intelligence Coordination Agency, deputy chief of staff for intelligence, deputy chief of staff and vice chief of staff, and deputy minister of defense of the Philippines.
The first commander of the Scout Rangers, Captain Ileto, was given the task of selecting the best and most suitable soldiers and officers of the Philippine army to serve in the special forces. They were undergoing accelerated training under American commando programs and under the guidance of American instructors. The battalion commanded by Ileto was divided into two divisions. The first began to study the methods of action of the enemy - the communist partisans, and the second - performed the functions of intelligence in army units. Each Scout Ranger team had an officer or sergeant in command, a medical officer, a guide, a radio operator, and a gunner. Scout Rangers monitored the locations and movements of the partisans, after which they transmitted the information to the army command.
Later, the rangers switched to sabotage tactics against guerrilla movements. They used guerrilla tactics in the fight against guerrillas and this bore some fruit. The "five" rangers worked in isolation from the main base and acted at their own peril and risk. Its tasks included reconnaissance and observation of partisans, attacks on partisan patrols, seizure of weapons and ammunition. However, such an activity seemed too risky - the rangers began to suffer serious losses and commander Ileto decided to transfer them exclusively to the performance of reconnaissance tasks.
An important activity for rangers in the 1950s. was the implementation of reconnaissance and sabotage operations under the guise of the partisans themselves. The saboteurs operated in the uniforms used by the communist partisans and infiltrated the partisan detachments. Since the partisans in those years had a poor communication system, there was practically no communication between individual formations, it was not difficult to impersonate the retreating rebels from other units. Rangers skillfully used this and, under the guise of partisans, carried out operations to collect intelligence data, kidnap prominent partisan commanders.
However, later the scout-ranger regiment was disbanded, aided by suspicions that some officers and soldiers of the regiment were preparing for a military coup. The regiment was disbanded, and the soldiers and officers were transferred to the special war brigade. 1960s - 1970s it was this unit that performed the main functions of the Philippine Army Special Forces. The tradition of scout rangers as scouts and saboteurs of the extra-class has been largely lost. Meanwhile, the internal military-political situation in the country has seriously deteriorated. First, the New People's Army was created instead of Hukbalahap, gaining popularity among the peasant population and feeding itself with the "urban appeal" of students sympathetic to Maoism. Secondly, in the mid-1970s, a new serious adversary became active - the Islamic national liberation movement, which advocated the creation of a sovereign state of Moro - Filipino Muslims. In connection with these trends in the country's political life, the Filipino military command increasingly began to turn to the idea of recreating the scout-ranger regiment, which had effectively proven itself in the 1950s. In 1983 it was decided to recreate the 1st Scout Ranger Regiment. He almost immediately entered into an active confrontation with the militants of the New People's Army, but was no longer used as a reconnaissance and sabotage unit, but as an airborne assault regiment. However, a return to the old tried and tested tactics of reconnaissance and sabotage operations also gradually took place. Nevertheless, in 1989 the officers of the regiment again participated in the preparation of the next military coup. The conspirators were arrested, among them was the then commander of the regiment, Daniel Lima. But this time they did not disband the regiment, although they carried out serious purges of the command staff.
Currently, the Scout Ranger Regiment is one of the elite units of the Philippine Army. He is part of the Special Operations Command. The structure of the regiment includes a headquarters and four battalions of three companies. In addition, the regiment includes twenty separate companies. Each individual company is subordinate to the regional command of the area, however, it can also be attached to a battalion of scouts-rangers. The company, in turn, is divided into teams of five fighters - the commander (officer or sergeant), medic, radio operator, tracker and scout. The total number of Scout Rangers reaches 5 thousand soldiers and officers.
The Regiment of Scout Rangers is recruited by recruiting candidates from among the recruits or members of the Philippine Army. Candidates must meet the requirements for health, psychological and physical fitness for service in special forces. A significant part of those who wish are eliminated at the initial stage of selection and preparation. The first part of the training is devoted to physical training and the study of actions with weapons, followed by a course in fire training, medical knowledge, topography, orienteering in the jungle. The training of a fighter - ranger lasts six months. At the final stage, there is something like an internship and an exam in a combat situation at the same time. Recruits move into the jungle, in areas of real activity of guerrilla groups and take part in hostilities. Thus, they are tested and show the commanders what they are capable of in a real battle. After the successful completion of the six-month course, candidates who have passed it receive the military specialty of a light diver, an artillery spotter, an airborne operator, and a specialist in undercover intelligence. Recruits who have passed all the tests and are enrolled in the regiment are awarded the black beret of the ranger. The Ranger Scout camp is located in Texon in San Miguel in Bulacan province. The regiment's commander is currently Brigadier General Eduardo Davalan.
Special Forces Regiment of the Philippine Army
The needs of the Philippine army for special operations forces in the 1960s caused the creation of another elite unit of the ground forces, which, unlike the Rangers, was initially focused not only on anti-partisan warfare, but also on reconnaissance and sabotage operations in the rear of a potential enemy, and other operations within the framework of an unconventional war. On June 25, 1962, the Special Forces Regiment was created, at the origins of which was Captain Fidel Ramos.
The first commander of the special forces regiment, Captain Fidel Ramos (born 1928), became one of those special forces who were fortunate enough not only to make a serious career in the army, but also to make a completely dizzying career "in civilian life" - from 1992 to 1998. Fidel Ramos served as President of the Philippines. In principle, this is not surprising, since Ramos came from a noble and influential Filipino family - his father was a lawyer, deputy of the House of Representatives, and later - the secretary of foreign affairs of the Philippines. Fidel Ramos graduated from the US Military Academy at West Point in 1950 and was assigned to the 20th Philippine Battalion, among other graduates. As part of it, he participated in the Korean War, where he established himself as a brave and talented officer. It was he who was decided to be made responsible for the creation of the Philippine army special forces and the first commander of the special forces regiment. Ramos later commanded the 3rd Army Division in Cebu City. 1980 to 1986 Fidel Ramos was Chief of the Philippine Constables (Police) from 1986 to 1988. - Chief of Staff of the Philippine Armed Forces, 1988-1991. - Secretary of National Defense of the Philippines, and in 1992-1998. - the president of the country.
The regiment was trained by American instructors from the Green Berets. The spetsnaz regiment was also entrusted with the duties of conducting anti-partisan warfare. Candidates must undergo an airborne training course before being enrolled in the special forces. Then begins eight months of training in the basics of spetsnaz tactics and unconventional warfare. During this period, candidates are trained in the methods of conducting psychological operations, mining and demining, river operations, combat diving, ensuring the safety of state-level persons (special forces take part in the protection of statesmen during important events). Special forces acquire military specialties as a parachutist, light diver, mountain climber, signalman, sniper, weapons specialist, and miner.
The special forces regiment includes the regiment's headquarters, a special forces school, four special forces battalions and 20 separate special forces companies. The squadron team does not consist of five fighters, like the scouts-rangers, but of 12 fighters - the specifics of the activities of this special unit affects. The regiment's commander is currently Colonel Ronnie Evangelista. Like the Scout Rangers, the Special Forces Regiment takes part in anti-insurgency operations against the New People's Army, the Moro National Liberation Movement and Islamic radical organizations. In addition, the regiment's servicemen participated in the Vietnam War on the side of the United States and the South Vietnamese army. The special purpose regiment operates both independently and in conjunction with infantry units. In the latter case, special forces carry out reconnaissance operations, following in front of the main forces of the Philippine infantry. The distinctive sign of the spetsnaz regiment is a green beret.
Rapid response of the Philippine counterterrorism
The youngest known regimental-level unit of the Philippine Army Special Forces is the Rapid Response Regiment. It was created on February 1, 2004 as the anti-terrorism unit of the armed forces of the Philippines. A grant from the US Department of State in the amount of $ 25 million was allocated to create this unit. Originally, the Philippine Army had a Rapid Response Company under the Special Operations Command. In 2001 the company was transformed into a battalion, and in 2004 the battalion was enlarged and raised in status to the level of a regiment.
The history of the Rapid Response Regiment began in 2000, when a group of NCOs of the Scout Rangers and Special Forces Regiment were selected for further training under the leadership of American military advisers. The main task of the rapid reaction company, formed in 2000, was the fight against the Islamic group Abu Sayyaf, which operated on the island of Mindanao and was engaged in the abduction of foreign citizens. From the first days of its existence, the new army unit was focused on the search for terrorists and the release of hostages. The fight against Islamic groups in Mindanao became its main focus, which led to significant financial and logistical support from the United States of America, the participation of American instructors in the training of the regiment's military personnel. The unit also participates in the suppression of popular demonstrations, including in the capital of the country, Manila. At the same time, the specialization of the regiment assumes its use for anti-terrorist actions in rural areas - according to the Philippine military command, special forces of law enforcement agencies with a slightly different profile of special training are better suited for urban conditions. The current regiment commander is Colonel Danilio Pamonag.
The Scout Ranger Regiment, the Special Forces Regiment and the Rapid Response Regiment together make up the Special Operations Command (SOCOM) of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. This structure was created in 1995, but originates from the creation of the Special Warfare Brigade in 1978, which was formed as a result of the merger of special forces and rangers. The tasks of the command include coordinating the actions of the three special forces of the Philippine army, organizing their training and logistics. The Special Operations Commander is currently Major General Donato San Juan.
Knife fight
The "calling card" of the Philippine special forces is the mastery of knife fighting techniques. It is known that although the special forces of the Philippines are trained by American military instructors, it is the Americans, as well as representatives of the special forces of other countries of the world, who take lessons from the Filipinos in relation to knife fighting techniques. Historically, several martial arts have developed in the Philippines, which are, first of all, the techniques of using cold weapons, and, only secondly, the techniques of hand-to-hand combat. This is due to the fact that, according to the Filipinos, being left without a knife or a stick is already half the way to defeat. The most famous system is "arnis" or "escrima", which consists of two stages. In the first, the fighter learns to wield a stick and knife, in the second, he learns the techniques of hand-to-hand combat. Known style of knife fighting "pekiti-tirsia kali", which appeared in the western Philippine provinces of Panay and Negros and systematized by Norberto Tortal, then by his grandson Conrado Tortal in the 1930s. and is currently being developed by the living members of the Tortal clan. The power structures of the Philippines and a number of other states are studying the "combatant-arnis", developed by the master Ernesto Amador Presas and combining the components of the traditional martial arts of the Philippines with judo, ju-jutsu, and karate techniques. Currently, this style is widely in demand due to its great practical efficiency.
Fighting Swimmers and Elite Marines
The Scout Rangers, the Army Special Forces, are by far the most famous elite special forces of the Philippine Armed Forces. However, one should not forget that the Philippines is still a “country of seven thousand islands”. An important role here is traditionally played by the navy, which possesses not only seafarers, but also airborne assault and reconnaissance units of the marines, as well as its own "naval special forces".
The Naval Special Task Force (NAVSOG) is the smallest but most trained unit in the Philippine Armed Forces. It is under the command of the Philippine Naval Forces and specializes in naval, air and land operations in support of general naval operations. The competence of the group includes the conduct of naval intelligence, psychological and non-traditional warfare, sabotage, underwater work, anti-terrorist activities. The history of the unit also dates back to the early years of Philippine independence. On November 5, 1956, the Submarine Operations Group was created - the special forces of the Philippine Navy, modeled on the American and Italian combat swimmers. The unit was assigned tasks to carry out demining, rescue and search operations on water and under water. In 1959, the unit was expanded and renamed the Submarine Task Force. Later, on its basis, the Naval Special Warfare Group was created, the tasks of which were expanded to the conduct of all types of unconventional warfare in sea space and on rivers.
The unit is headquartered at Sangli Point and has eight units deployed throughout the Philippines, from the seaport of São Vicente in the north of the country to the Zamboanga Naval Base in the south of the Philippines. Each unit is attached to a naval unit and includes 3 to 6 teams. The team consists of eight people and consists of a commander in the officer rank and seven fighters - paratroopers, demolition men, divers. The division is recruited by selecting the "best of the best", but even in this case, only a minimum number of candidates can pass all entrance tests.
The training of the Philippine naval special forces is carried out according to the training programs of similar special forces of the American Navy. Joint training sessions of the American and Philippine naval special forces take place on a regular basis. As for real operations, in them the special unit also demonstrates a high level of skills acquired during training. Naval special forces are used for reconnaissance and sabotage operations against Islamic and Maoist radical groups. At the same time, the unit attacks "from the sea", landing from rubber boats on small islands used by partisan groups as their bases, after which they kidnap or destroy the leaders of partisan organizations and collect information.
Another elite unit of the Philippine Navy is the Marine Corps Reconnaissance Battalion. It is used for sea, air and land operations. From the very beginning of the creation of the country's armed forces, the Philippine military command paid great attention to the formation and training of the marines, since it took the American armed forces as the basis for the organizational building of the country's armed forces, where the marines have always played one of the most important roles. Back in the early 1950s. A raid reconnaissance platoon was created as part of the armament company of the Marine Corps battalion. In 1954, the unit's fighters underwent an airborne training course, then officers of the Marine Corps battalion began to be trained at the bases of the American Marine Corps. The Raid Reconnaissance Platoon became the predecessor of the Marine Reconnaissance Battalion. In 1972, a reconnaissance company was created on the basis of the platoon, commanded by Edgaro Espinoza, the future commander of the Marine Corps of the Philippine Navy. From the first days of its existence, the Marine Corps Reconnaissance Battalion took an active part in countering the Maoist and Islamist guerrillas in the islands of the Southern Philippines.
In 1985, the reconnaissance company was transformed into the 61st reconnaissance company, consisting of three platoons. In the 1980s. it was used in battles against the New People's Army in Basilan province. Also, the Marines took part in the release of hostages in Central Mindanao. In 1995, a Marine Special Forces reconnaissance battalion was created. It includes the battalion headquarters and three companies of the Marine Corps Special Forces. Each company is divided into platoons, and the platoon, in turn, is divided into teams of 4-6 fighters. The unit's duties also include collecting information about the militants, conducting rapid raids on the bases of partisan organizations, and releasing hostages.
Police SWAT
In addition to the special units subordinate to the Armed Forces of the Philippines, there are also "law enforcement special forces" in the country. These are the elite units of the Philippine National Police and Intelligence Services. In the first half of 1983, the Philippine police was led by Fidel Ramos, a well-known military and political figure of the country, the creator of the army special forces regiment. Naturally, he decided to apply his special forces experience and create a similar unit in the structure of the national police. This is how the Special Action Forces (SAF), the Philippine police special forces, was created. Their official date of creation is May 12, 1983. Under the leadership of Fidel Ramos and Renato de Villa, the formation of the group began. Its direct organization was entrusted to General Sonny Razon and Colonel Rosendo Ferrer.149 operatives of the Philippine police were selected for the second course of special training in special forces programs. Thus began the history of the police unit, which is currently the most famous formation of the Philippine police special forces.
Initially, the police special forces were focused on the war with the New People's Army and the separatists - Moro from the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, but in the 1990s. the tasks of the police special forces were expanded and their competence included the fight against organized crime, terrorist actions in cities and assistance to the police in maintaining public order. training of police special forces is carried out according to the methods of the British Special Air Service (SAS). For service in the special forces, trainees or police officers are selected, who initially undergo several courses of military training, including parachute training, underwater operations and internal security.
Currently, the official functions of the Philippine police special forces are considered: organizing and training personnel, conducting counter-terrorist operations in urban and rural areas, conducting non-traditional war with minimal control, conducting search and rescue operations and eliminating the consequences of disasters, suppressing riots and civil disobedience, supporting other police and military units to carry out their assigned tasks, ensuring the rule of law and law enforcement on national highways and other transport routes. The unit commander is Superintendent Noli Talino.
The Philippine Special Forces Police Force has its own helicopter squad. With the help of helicopters, not only the transportation of special forces is carried out, but also reconnaissance operations. In addition, the special forces use Land Rover Defender jeeps equipped with a machine gun in the first passenger seat and a machine gun in the back. Armored vehicles are used to move and suppress protests in urban areas.
Nevertheless, despite the high level of training, the police special forces suffer heavy losses in clashes with partisan organizations operating in the country. So, on May 27, 2013, 8 special forces soldiers were killed and 7 were injured, having encountered an ambush by the New People's Army partisans in Kagayan. On January 25, 2015, 44 commandos were killed by the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, an unsuccessful clash considered one of the most serious casualties of Philippine government forces during peacetime special operations. These losses forced the Philippine command to think about further improving the training of special forces, as well as strengthening the ongoing intelligence operations that precede the operations of special forces.
Finally, speaking of the Philippine "law enforcement special forces", one cannot fail to mention the Special Response Group, which is part of the Security Group of the President of the Philippines. The Special Response Team was created by the Deputy Director of the Philippine National Police, Alan Purisima, to ensure the safety of the President and Government of the Philippines. Given the numerous attempts to carry out military coups in the country, its creation was of great relevance for the Philippine state. The training of this special unit is at an extremely high level, the most capable fighters from other police and army special forces are selected here.
However, although all the Filipino special forces discussed above are well trained, trained by American instructors and considered among the best in the Asia-Pacific region, for many decades they have not been able to defeat the rebel groups operating in the country. Currently, radical organizations operating in the country are the main internal enemy of the Philippine special forces. It should be noted that the partisan formations are also not badly trained, and most importantly, they enjoy some support from the peasant population, which is caused by numerous mistakes in the socio-economic and national policies of the Philippine government. Maoist and Islamist guerrillas control entire areas in the South of the Philippines, and the reconnaissance and sabotage raids of the Philippine special forces, as well as military operations of the ground forces and marines, do not cause them damage to the level that would entail the cessation or significant reduction in the scale of activities …
