Russia asks Philippines to submit shopping list of defense equipment

Foreign Affairs Sec. Alan Peter Cayetano meets with Russia Foreign Minister Sergey Lavror in Moscow. The STAR/Alexis Romero

MOSCOW – Russia has asked the Philippines to submit a shopping list of defense equipment after President Rodrigo Duterte urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to provide him with a loan to buy firearms.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Cayetano said the Russian government was willing to “do all efforts” to accommodate Duterte’s request.

“The response of the Russian Federation through President (Vladimir) Putin was very, very generous. So they said, well, we have the framework in place through our agreements to cooperate,” Cayetano said in a press briefing Wednesday night here.

“They have showed us what is available to us. I’m not at liberty now to discuss that…but they are awaiting our proposals,” he added.

While there was no decision yet on the loan being sought by the Philippines, Cayetano said Russia has provided help to countries that it considers as friends.

“It’s nothing new for the Russian Federation to lend a helping hand to countries that are their friends,” the Foreign Affairs chief said.

Duterte asked Putin for a soft loan during their bilateral meeting in Kremlin last Tuesday, hours before the Philippine leader left for Manila. Duterte said he needed money to buy firearms as the Philippines’ rifle deal with the US had been scrapped.

The US State Department halted the sale of some 26,000 rifles to the Philippine police last year after Democratic Sen. Ben Cardin had raised issues about the Duterte administration’s human rights record.

Cayetano said the loan may be used to buy not just firearms but to acquire equipment that would improve the chances of survival of government troops.

“These are really modern equipment that can be used to fight terrorist that will avoid injuring or causing deaths or damage or deaths to innocent bystanders or people in a community and also to prevent collateral damage,” Cayetano said.

“That also goes, for example, for our police and our military. You know, they’re suffering. They’re getting hurt. They don’t have the best hospital equipment. Sometimes, the Abu Sayyaf have better equipment than they do,” he added.

Duterte also invited Putin to visit the Philippines during their bilateral meeting.

Cayetano said Putin had expressed his gratitude to Duterte for the invitation. It was unclear whether the Russian leader accepted the invitation but Cayetano said such invitations do not usually get immediate response.

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev is expected to come to the Philippines in November to attend the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit and related summits. 

SOURCE: Philippine Star

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PH, Russia to sign defense deal during Duterte visit

FIRST MEETING. Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte and Russian President Vladimir Putin meet for the first time during the APEC Summit in Peru in 2016. Malacañang file photo

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines and Russia will sign a defense cooperation agreement and other bilateral deals when President Rodrigo Duterte goes on a 5-day official visit to the country next week.

Duterte will visit the cities of Moscow and St Petersburg during his visit from May 22 to 26, and will be accompanied by several Cabinet officials and a large business delegation, Foreign Assistant Secretary Maria Cleofe Natividad said in a Palace briefing Friday, May 19.

Natividad said deals expected to be signed during the visit include a defense cooperation agreement, a memorandum of understanding on cooperation between Russian and Philippine security councils, a treaty on mutual legal assistance in criminal matters, and an extradition treaty.

The defense agreement, which will deal specifically with "military and technical cooperation," will set the stage for the Philippines' possible acquisition of defense assets from Russia.

"The agreement on military technical cooperation will pave the way for the Philippines to explore a possibility of military procurement from Russia," said Natividad.

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana had earlier confirmed he would sign a defense cooperation deal with Russia's defense ministry involving information sharing, training, and technical cooperation.

Another expected outcome of the visit is the establishment of a Philippine Office of Defense Attaché in Moscow and a similar Russian office in Manila.

Highlights

The other highlights of the visit include a bilateral meeting between Duterte and his "idol," Russian President Vladimir Putin, a bilateral meeting with Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, and a visit to a St Petersburg military shipyard. 

Duterte will also have a gathering with the Filipino community in Russia and nearby states. The growing number of Filipinos expected to attend the event has prompted organizers to change the venue, Natividad said.

The Philippine leader will also give a speech at Russia's Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO), a world-renowed diplomatic school.

He is expected to "articulate his admininstration's commitment to pursue an independent foreign policy," said Natividad.

Official vs state visit

Unlike Duterte's first visit to China, his Russia visit will only be an official visit, and not a state visit.

An official visit is considered a level lower than a state visit in terms of ceremony and importance.

However, Natividad said "this is as important as a state visit if you look at the quality of meetings the President will be having with Russian officials."

The decision on the type of visit was made by the Russian government as the inviting party. But Natividad is confident that Russia will still give Duterte a red carpet welcome.

She also emphasized the significance of the visit as it is upon the invitation of Putin himself.

The last Philippine president to visit Russia upon the invitation of its leaders was Fidel Ramos.

The formal invitation to Duterte reached the Philippine government as early as January but due to Duterte's busy schedule, which included hosting an Association of Southeast Asian Nations Summit, the visit had to be pushed back.

Another important factor that influenced the date of the visit was Russia's climate. Natividad admitted they waited for "good weather." Duterte previously spoke of an aversion to visiting countries during the cold season. – Rappler.com

SOURCE: Rappler

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U.S. Department of State Turns Over Equipment at First Anniversary of Philippine National Police Explosive Ordinance Disposal K9 Group

(L to R) Philippine National Police Special Action Force (PNP SAF) Explosive Ordinance Disposal Canine (EOD/K9) Group Director Regimio B Gregorio, PNP Chief of Directorial Staff Archie Francisco Gamboa, PNP Chief Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa, U.S. Embassy Regional Security Officer Lon Fairchild, and Department of State Bureau of Diplomatic Security Antiterrorism Assistance (DS/ATA) Resident Program Manager Ronald Dizon.  U.S. Department of State Bureau of Diplomatic Security Antiterrorism Assistance turns over equipment at the first anniversary of the Philippine National Police EOD/K9 Group.

Manila, April 28, 2017 — Guest of Honor U.S. Embassy Regional Security Officer Lon Fairchild and Department of State’s Bureau of Diplomatic Security Antiterrorism Assistance (DS/ATA) Resident Program Manager Ronald Dizon formally turned over Post Blast Investigation and Explosive Incident Countermeasure Kits to the Philippine National Police Special Action Force (PNP SAF) Explosive Ordinance Disposal Canine (EOD/K9) Group at the first anniversary of the EOD/K9 Group in the PNP Multi-purpose Hall, Camp Crame, Quezon City on April 24, 2017.

The DS/ATA’s EOD/K9 initiative recognizes that a well-trained EOD/K9 with an experienced handler is an excellent tool in locating explosive devices.  To develop this capability in the Philippines, DS/ATA began assisting the PNP in early 2007 with the establishment of an EOD/K-9 facility for the PNP National Capital Region Police Office.  The facilities include kennels, a veterinary clinic. and billeting for EOD/K9 handlers.  Six bomb detector dogs were granted by DS/ATA in 2008 to the PNP EOD/K9 Group and in 2015, twenty-two additional bomb detector dogs were granted.  DS/ATA trained 22 handlers who are now assigned to Mindanao and the National Capital Region.

To develop the PNP’s bomb disposal and investigation capabilities, DS/ATA provided Post Blast Investigation and Explosive Incident Countermeasures  training and equipment to critical areas in Mindanao; in particular to Zamboanga, Davao, General Santos, South Cotabato, North Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, and Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao.  DS/ATA-trained bomb technicians and investigators are now able to respond quickly to bombing incidents and Improvised Explosive Device (IED) threats, preventing the loss of lives.  DS/ATA-trained and equipped EOD/K9 Units also provide IED Awareness Training to PNP Units, local schools, and civic groups in at-risk areas of Mindanao.  To date, the DS/ATA Program has provided Php$199 million worth of EOD/K9 training and equipment to the PNP SAF.

Post Blast Investigation and Explosive Incident Countermeasure kits granted to the PNP EOD/K9 Group.  U.S. Department of State Bureau of Diplomatic Security Antiterrorism Assistance turned over equipment at the first anniversary of the Philippine National Police EOD/K9 Group.

(L to R) PNP Chief Dela Rosa, RSO Fairchild, RPM Dizon. U.S. Department of State Bureau of Diplomatic Security Antiterrorism Assistance turns over equipment at the first anniversary of the Philippine National Police EOD/K9 Group.

By U.S. Embassy Manila

SOURCE: US Embassy

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President Duterte ordered 30,000 Glock G30 for the AFP

Glock G30 .45, gunivore.com

Philippines - President Duterte revealed that the government ordered 30,000 Glock G30 for the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on April 7, 2017, while delivering a speech at Western Command in Puerto Princesa, Palawan. 

“I ordered 30,000 of the sidearms, I will give them all to you. 

On the last bullet, put the pistol to your head and tell the 

enemy ‘f**k you.’ At least you die with dignity,” Duterte said.

"This was President Duterte’s advice to the troops of the Western Command in Puerto Princesa, Palawan when he met them yesterday.

“Do not surrender to the enemy. As much as this could be a dreadful task to you, do not give the enemy the opportunity to mistreat you. They will only use you as target practice, you will be treated like a pig only to be executed,” he said.

Duterte made the statement as he gave 30,000 Glock pistols to the troops.

He said they could use these side arms to defend themselves in areas controlled by the communist New People’s Army (NPA).

Speaking before the troops during his visit to the Western Command, Duterte told them to just kill themselves with the pistols rather than be subjected to torture and humiliation by the enemy.

Headlines ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1

He advised the troops to reserve the last round “for emergency use.” 

The Glock G30;

Glock 30 Gen 4 Specs

Caliber / System

• .45 Auto / Safe Action

Dimensions

• Length: 175 mm / 6.88 in.
• Height: 122 mm / 4.80 in.
• Width: 32.50 mm / 1.27 in.
• Barrel Height: 32 mm / 1.26 in.
• Length Between Sights: 150 mm / 5.91 in.
• Barrel Length: 96 mm / 3.77 in.

Weights

• Unloaded: 745 g / 26.30 oz.
• Loaded: 955 g / 33.71 oz.

Trigger Pull / Travel

• Trigger Pull: ~2.5 kg / ~5.5 lbs.
• Trigger Travel: ~12.5 mm / ~0.49 in.

Barrel Rifling / Length of Twist

• Barrel Rifling:  right hand, octagonal
• Length of Twist: 400 mm / 15.75 in.

Magazine Capacity

• Standard: 10
• Optional: 13

Glock 30 Gen 4 Build

The Glock 30 features the classic and revolutionary polymer design and build that has become the trademark of Glock guns – it’s pretty funny to think that no one took Gaston Glock and his design seriously back in the day. The nylon-based, plastic-like substance provides increased durability and resiliency in the G30. The ergonomics and aesthetics of the G30 are unsurprisingly excellent, at least in my opinion. Ultimately, gun taste will come down to the opinion of the individual, but having said that, Glock builds seem to be nearly universally acclaimed for their attractiveness and quality. Like all Gen 4 Glock guns, the G30 comes with interchangeable back straps, which means that everyone is going to be able to find something that they like in terms of grip.

A reversible magazine well and a new dual recoil spring assembly system represent two other Gen 4 features, which make for a gun that holds up and suffers from less wear and tear than its less-advanced Glock predecessors. Again, the Glock 30 is the subcompact version of the G21, which was Glock’s entry into the .45 auto category. With superior stopping power and force, .45 auto handguns tend to come in on the larger side, which makes the G30 and its relatively slim build (6.88 x 4.80 x 1.27 as compared to the 8.03 x 5.47 x 1.27 dimensions of the Glock 21) an excellent option for concealed carriers who do not wish to compromise on fire power by settling for a 9×19 or .40 gun. The small form of the G30 does not necessarily leave the gun vulnerable to excessive recoil or difficult handling while shooting, however, which we will cover shortly.

For more click: gunivore.com

Glock G30                                 

Source Philstar 

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Service Advisory - Labels on Procurements

Please be notify that the AFP MT is improving its page in order to serve its readers better. In this case, we will introduce several changes which involves search results on procurement of military weapons pertaining to AFP.

Instead of one, there will be five series of procurement, naming:

Procurement (Army)
Prourement (Navy)
Procurement (Air Force)
Procurement (Coast Guard)
Procurement (Others)

ALSO...

Service Advisory Tabs will be included on the News Tab while Procurements will be having another series of tabs on the main links bar.

Thank you, and happy reading.

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