$2.3 Million in Grant Aid for Counter-Terrorism
The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) have received assorted military equipment for all three services from Washington, worth over $2.3 million, as part of US military assistance grants, according to an official 3 May announcement.
Items destined for the Air Force include laser designation systems for forward air controllers, airfield operations and logistics support equipment, advanced GPS receivers, C-130 aircraft spares, and precision-guided munition tool kits.
The Army received various support equipment as well as L3Harris Tactical Network Rovers – small, hand-held radios providing connectivity to vehicles and/or dismounted troops – while the Navy received several weapon-support items.
The AFP pointed out that this equipment was acquired under the US Counter-Terrorism (CT) and Foreign Military Financing (FMF) programmes, under which Washington provides annual grants to assist the AFP in its capability upgrade efforts. “The AFP continues to make great strides in strengthening our counter-terrorism capabilities with new and modern equipment such as the latest grants from the United States,” said AFP Chief of Staff Gen Andres Centino.