By Jaime Laude
MANILA, Philippines - While keeping its focus on internal security, the military is looking forward to better external fighting capabilities with its multibillion-peso Shore-Based Missile System (SBMS) acquisition project.
Army chief Lt. Gen. Glorioso Miranda bared the plan to reporters Wednesday when asked if the Army is upgrading its external defense capabilities despite its focus on dealing with local threats.
“It’s in the planning stage,” Miranda stressed.
The P6.5 billion SBMS acquisition project was shelved during the previous administration and the budget for it realigned and used for the acquisition of force protection equipment to increase the survivability of soldiers deployed in conflict zones.
Miranda said that SBMS project is still being pursued but this can wait, he added, as the Army is still building up its internal fighting capabilities.
“There’s a plan (for SBMS) project but we have to address first the needs of our soldiers in the field for them to be highly effective in addressing internal security threats,” Miranda said.
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