Hi ManilaB I when I was in the army, my commander always had the style of putting it the " modernization of the armed forces consist of Hardware, software and Heartware. The first was the most easy to acquire with sustainable amount of economic purchase power, the most difficult and unpredictable was the latter as both of the hardware and software remains just mere passive object. The nurturing heartware was the most diffcult, it matters most. High-tech gear no substitute for human. It is the hearts and minds of soldiers that matter most. What is the point of having the best combat systems when the operator cannot be bothered or motivated, or accepated the transformation changes? Dr Bernard Loo, defence analyst at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, agreed with the emphasis on having the right man behind the right equipment. Having a steady stream of highly educated and tech-savvy new generation officer can be a critical factor.
Modern Army
Posted by ManilaB
The Philippine Army (PA) knows it has to transform itself in order to realize its intermediate vision by 2016 of becoming "a well-equipped Philippine Army that has established a respectable image in Southeast Asia;" and that it would have to sustain its transformation process to realize its vision by 2028 of becoming "a world-class army that is a source of national pride." Its recognition of such an imperative has led it to craft a "transformation roadmap," which for all practical purposes is its long-term strategy map.
To be able to craft such a strategy map, the PA considered five strategic perspectives through which to assess its current challenges as well as its future prospects, as it travels towards realizing its vision, both in 2016 and over the much longer horizon, in 2028. Moreover, it asked a key question in considering each of the five strategic perspectives.
What are these perspectives, and what key question did the PA ask under each perspective?
The first is stakeholder support: If by 2028, the PA shall be "a source of national pride," it has work cut out for it in the area of winning the hearts and minds of people, and more specifically earning the support of its key stakeholders, which ultimately are the Filipino people. Thus, the key question it asked in crafting its strategy map is: "How can we effectively encourage (and win) stakeholder support?"
The second perspective relates to "finance and logistics." Obviously, the PA would need more resources, both financial and logistical, as it works its way through towards its vision; and the equally obvious question is "how to generate and effectively manage" such resources.
For the PA, beyond "finance and logistics," a most important resource it must have is "human resource." This constitutes a separate perspective and is listed as its third. The question in this regard is: "How can we develop and enhance our human resource?"
With the resources it can obtain and the support it can win, the critical fourth perspective for the PA is its "internal processes." It poses the following question concerning this perspective: "What critical systems and processes must we excel at?"
Once the perspective of internal processes has been duly and fully considered, the fifth and last one surges forth, and this is the constituency the PA serves. It then raises the most critical question: "How can we best serve the people and attain the Army's vision?" By raising this question, the PA shows its deep commitment to its vision: There are no "ifs" and "buts;" for the PA, there is no way other than the road that leads it to its vision, which is nothing less than becoming "a world-class army that is a source of national pride" by 2028. It also is determined to reach a clear milestone by 2016, which is that of becoming so "well-equipped" that (it shall have) "established a respectable image in Southeast Asia."
The PA knows only too well that once having raised the key question under each of the five perspectives, it would have to come up with at least a few answers, which would point to the priorities and strategic objectives it must actively, aggressively, and effectively pursue.
