The new meaning of military professionalism

Soldier's Pen

By BGen. Alexander Cabales (Ret.)

Recently, my attention was caught by an article in the July 9, 2012 issue of the Philippine Star entitled "Philippine military men no longer warriors?"  This newspaper account was in fact just a summary of yet another article in a magazine published by the Philippine Air Force (PAF) in commemoration of its 65th Founding Anniversary on July 1, this year.  The unidentified author, who may have been a PAF soldier or a civilian of that organization, was strongly criticized by some idealistic young officers.  Among them was my son, 1Lt Alex Andre Cabales, who belittled him for his seeming unfamiliarity with the IPSP (Internal Peace and Security Plan) "Bayanihan" of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).  This said plan calls for the direct involvement of the AFP in non-traditional military activities such as the conduct of livelihood programs, infrastructure development, literacy and socio-cultural activities, among others, in insurgency stricken or insurgency prone areas all over the country.

The article insinuated that instead of concentrating its resources and energy to war fighting or preparing for war, the AFP was instead so preoccupied with non-military activities that are not within its mandate but traditionally that of the civilian agencies of government.  He claims that the military is not even interested in the study of military theory and history and that there is scarcity in the study of these fields even in the Command and General Staff College (CGSC), the highest training institution in the AFP where future generals are being prepared.  The magazine article said that the military seems to have no inclination to develop a program to systematically collate, organize, and analyze its records and that the majority of AFP officers have preference for graduate studies in other fields like business or public administration. 

In conclusion, he said that AFP should address the issue of military professionalism "by returning to its traditional or war-fighting roots.  After all, the ultimate test of a military professional is whether he or she can prevail in war over an adversary," he said.

The author was very accurate in his statement of facts when he said that the AFP is now deep into multiple activities and programs that are non-military.  This is a new trend in addressing local insurgencies not only in the Philippine military but also in most countries that are facing similar types of internal conflicts.  This contemporary doctrine has emerged as a result of studies on insurgency - a stumbling block in nation building.  The conduct of activities meant to eradicate the root causes of insurgency. It is now identified as a very vital component in the multi-faceted concept of national security. 

In our studies, we call it Military Operations Other Than War (MOOTWa).  It was so called because these types of operations use military doctrines and principles, skills, organizational concepts and deployment, and the preparedness, flexibility and adaptability of its soldiers to respond to various dangerous and even harsh conditions.  The most common of these activities are disaster response, rescue operations and disaster mitigation.

What I cannot agree with was the erroneous idea of the author that the AFP should remain to be in his "Rambo" image in order for it to remain as a "Professional Military Force".  I cannot also agree with his implied objection as to the effectiveness of the present AFP campaign plan which employs soldiers to directly participate in nation building and actively contribute to efforts in the development of the countryside in whichever way it can.  Furthermore, I cannot also agree that the AFP has neglected the study of war in favor of other fields of endeavor.

Through the years, the AFP has learned that the root causes of insurgency are the failure of government to provide the basic services to its people, its inadequacy to improve the economic conditions of the common tao, and the lack of concern or action on the deplorable plight of the many marginalized Filipinos and those in the remote areas, to name a few.  It has realized that even if it be victorious in all its battles and succeeds in neutralizing all the armed components of the CPP/NPA, insurgency will still thrive for as long as the social ills affecting our people are not properly addressed.  Five decades of fighting a seemingly endless conflict with our own brother Filipinos has taught us this very valuable lesson. 

Military professionalism has changed its meaning through the times.  In the past, a soldier was measured by the number of victories he has won, by the number of "enemy" soldiers he has killed, and by the quantity of the firearms and war materials he has captured.  Today, the true military professional is the soldier who has won the war without firing a single shot, without killing or maiming anyone, and without anyone giving up self dignity and accept bitter defeat.  A professional soldier is one who is prepared to fight and die but finds no necessity for this sacrifice.  He is someone who is willing to give up his personal comforts and safety just to bring in lasting peace.  He is someone who is motivated to do his job because of a deeper understanding of his people's needs and aspirations.   He is someone who is a Filipino first and a soldier only second.