MANILA – All special operation forces (SOFs) of the Armed Forces of the Philippines will now operate under the newly activated AFP Special Operations Command (AFPSOCOM).
The creation of AFPSOCOM was the “result of lessons learned in the Zamboanga City attack in 2013 and the Marawi siege in 2017,” AFP chief of staff Rey Leonardo Guerrero said on Sunday.
Guerrero expects the new command to address “all of the gaps and challenges we encountered in joint operations involving our SOFs.”
While at the Eastern Mindanao Command Guerrero “saw the need for a single unit that would oversee the proper employment of different major service [SOFs] in the area.”
The AFPSOCOM, headquartered at Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija, was activated on April 6, said Lieutenant Colonel Emmanuel Garcia.
It will take command and supervision of the following:
* Special Operations Wing of the Air Force
* Naval Special Operations Group of the Navy
* Scout Ranger Regiment of the Army
* Special Forces Regiment and Light Reaction Regiment of the Army
* Joint Special Operations Group of the AFP General Headquarters
The AFPSOCOM head, Major General Ronnie Evangelista, said they have been “dreaming” about putting all SOFs under an umbrella unit due to “the intricacies and peculiarities of special operations.”
Evangelista expects the use of SOFs to be “more efficient and effective.” (PNA)
