Elite Army units demoralized, restive over downsizing plans

The Army’s elite units have grown “demoralized" and restive amid reports that headquarters plans to cut their strength to just a third of their present size and curb their potential to mount coups, a senior military officer said Thursday. A senior military officer who spoke on condition of anonymity said Army chief Lieutentant General Romeo Tolentino has given a team until the end of the month to study the downsizing of the First Scout Ranger Regiment (FSRR) and Special Forces Regiment (SFR). The two units consist of three battalions each at present. “Officers and men of Socom are greatly affected and demoralized by the ongoing study at Army headquarters to downsize (the FSRR and SFR)…from their present organization set up to just one battalion each to remove their capability to launch coups and topple government," he said. About 500 men make up a battalion. Counter-coup measure? The FSRR, based in Camp Tecson in San Miguel, Bulacan and the SFR, based in Fort Magsaysay in Talayan City, Nueva Ecija, are both under the Army’s Special Operations Command (Socom). The source said the move was “obviously" Tolentino’s “response" to the failed plan to overthrow the government last Feb. 24. The plan involved around 50 officers and men from the FSRR, including erstwhile FSRR commander Brig. Gen. Danilo Lim. The official said the latest plan to further downgrade the strength of the FSRR and the SFR is unfair because all members of the elite units are being punished for the acts of only some officers and men. “Many of the people there say that the (coup) plotters should be the only ones who should be punished. This (plan) is unfair to those who did not move (to join the plot) and chose to remain loyal to the Constitution and oath of service," he said. Sought for comment, Army spokesman Maj. Ernesto Torres said that an ongoing review involving Socom is indeed underway. “Its an organizational review, it's like the plan to create the 10th Infantry Division in Mindanao," Torres said. “As to whether it will be upgraded or downgraded, we do not know yet. We cannot categorically say if its going to be upgraded or downgraded. There are still no order (downgrading or upgrading) to that effect," he added. Told that some FSRR and SFR officers and men are already restive about the supposed plan to downgrade their units, Torres said: “We don’t know but if there is information to that effect, some people will really feel bad." Because of the planned downsizing, he said many FSRR and SFR troops, particularly in the frontlines, may have lost their motivation in accomplishing their mandated tasks “after learning about the bad news." Morale problem “They all know what’s going to happen because that (downsizing of FSRR and SFR) is the desire of the (Army chief)," he said. “This is a big problem in terms of the morale of the present personnel and it also affects those who formerly served with the Special Forces and Rangers." "In fact, less than 50 Rangers out of nearly 5,000 Socom forces were involved (in the plot). Why will the whole Socom unit, with the overwhelming majority who remained loyal and professional, suffer from the misdeeds of the misguided few," he said. The officer added that it was “very ironic" that the planned downsizing comes at a time when the government is renewing its campaign to cripple the insurgents in two years. The official said FSRR and SFR forces are have proven to be effective in the conduct of counter-insurgency operations or counter-guerilla warfare. “These (expertise) are the core competence or forte of Socom forces. The Socom forces are the national maneuver force of the (Armed Forces of the Philippines)," he said. Downsized already The elite units have previously undergone downsizing. Following the bloody 1989 coup attempt against former President Corazon Aquino, the FSRR was disbanded, only to be reactivated two years after. Scores of Scout Rangers, including Lim, were involved in the coup plot that almost succeeded. Shortly after the July 2003 Oakwood mutiny, the SFR was downsized from nine battalions and the FSRR from six battalions to just three battalions and one company each. The Army chief then was Lt. Gen. Efren Abu while Tolentino was the Army chief of staff. “That created a lot of tension and emotional stir especially to personnel who were displaced and transferred to other units," the official said, referring to the aftermath of the initial downsizing of the FSRR and SFR. “We have already identified those who plotted and attempted to mount a coup, they are already in (military) custody. The evidence are already there. Just hasten the trial before the court martial or ESB (Efficiency and Separation Board), so that the guilty will be jailed," the military officer said. Court process the deterrent “That (speeding up the court trial) is the most effective deterrent to coup, not downsizing, because even a platoon (about 30 men) or one squad can attempt a coup can," he added. The source said he does not know how AFP Chief of the Staff Lt. Gen. Hermogenes Esperon is reacting to the plan. Before he was appointed Army chief last year, Esperon was Socom commander. Esperon assumed the top AFP post last month. -GMANews.TV