Thursday, January 16, 2014

Funds now ready for PHL's 'Light Reaction Regiment' --DND

From the Philippine News Agency (Jan 16): Funds now ready for PHL's 'Light Reaction Regiment' --DND

Department of National Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin said on Thursday that funds for the country's newly-activated "Light Reaction Regiment" are now ready.

He added that this will be sourced from the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Modernization Program.

According to Gazmin, the "Light Reaction Regiment," which was activated on Thursday, will now be the premier Philippine unit against terrorist threats.

The DND chief said that the decision to expand the "Light Reaction Battalion" to the "Light Reaction Regiment" was brought about by the military's experience in the 21-day Zamboanga City siege where rogue Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) fighters tried to take control of the city last September.

"We were sort of unprepared to meet that kind of threat in an urban setting, so we need a bigger unit to address this particular (threat)... We lacked personnel and we were forced to deploy the Rangers, Special Forces to augment the 'Light Reaction Battalion' during the Zamboanga City crisis," Gazmin added.

He also said that the "Light Reaction Regiment" will be also deployed to deal with the Abu Sayyaf Group.

The "Light Reaction Regiment" was formerly a "Light Reaction Battalion." It got its present designation after three more companies were added to the existing three.

The 4th Light Reaction Company is expected to be activated this year, while the 5th and 6th Light Reaction Companies will be formed not later than 2015.

A company is composed of 120 officers and men.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=605936

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