Government arsenals for self-respect and national security

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Part of Philippine Armed Forces Journal

Title: Government arsenals for self-respect and national security
Language: English
Source: Philippine Armed Forces Journal Volume IX (No. 5) March 1956
Year: 1956
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Fulltext: ,//,. /,t>I(Jtf"i•.;<l!l• <•/ t/tt l:ight.t' (tTf.• oJ wut i.• not w·q,red e.t.CtJJt by e.rpericnr• ''"rf IIH• Mtu!y of hi~tory of uou 11nd 1/le .•f!ldy of the ba.ttle11 uf r,reat utptliins" - tlw s oclvi.~e, J .\'opo/eon ond other.~ who made tl•eir "'ltr/; tH! the pages of hi.~tory. :{;::":':":.g;!:':':';:g:,:'!': ::: . :;: ':::: ::: •;! ~l!j!i :::::jj;!!!!·:!;,:::::j;i :::;;;:!ij:l!!! l!jil;;:: :::::i:l!!:::: ... :!!::;;::;; .... :!:::::!; By Ely A. Agbayani Government arsenals have assumed a11 important role in the ~cheme of national defense and security in the modem era ~·'1 .. i;'\1 ;.~·d EFORE the declaration of 400,000 Filipino officers aml men in the Pacific war, President Franklin ducted into the "service of the Armed Oclano Roosevelt issued a mllitary Forces of the United States during order on July 26, 1941 placing the World Wa1· II, 300,000 of whom organized elements of the then Ar- were recognized guenillas and the my of the Philippines in the active 1·emaining 100,000, t•egularly induct· service of their e<).uivalent compo-- ed members of the USAFFE. nents in the Armed Forces of the As a result of the horrors of war, United States. The military order out of the 400,000 officers and men further provided speeifically that the of the then Army of the Philippines, organized unit.<: of the .Fhilippint 100,000 became casualties, not beCommonwealth A!my were to be in cause they lacked the training de· the SH\'Ico· <>f th(' armed forces of sin•d, but because these officers and th(' lln,t•·d Stuto·s for the period of men lacked the necesSal'Y supporting the th•·n '''>l.~tmg emergency. That arms in the protracted defense of "nll rgPnn hn•! actua\1y developed Ill· Bataan, Col'l'egidor and the Southto a ~ho<>llnl!' war which involved e!ft islands while the Japanese inInto "'"<~'"' devi<ed by Otdnonce pttJOnnel, /oultr ammunotoon are paurtd and ~~. ' "" " ><rapped all flt/1 p~olal Aller ~~~ '""~'"9· ~~. bullefl "" .,,.droed '" apen <ontoone,., l~en uommed on<: :,1 one tm•dd/e p~olol Ploced in bello or ;., M·l d•ph l~e ••·condoltOned bullet< are ready for " " a901nJI diuodenl< and oullow< vadcrs had an overwhelming supe- of the results of the last Klobal wa~· , riority and command with these but on the necessity of an arsenal that would produce th('se vital arm~ Object Lessons and ammunition. Aware of the unpreJJaredness of The gene1·al sa1d: '·W,th tht· dt• the Allied rwwers during the last vclopmcnt of new weaJWns or· wao. war, military men like Major Gen fare, such as guided missiles, 1 ·oc era l Calixto Duque, one-time AFP kets, and the atom1c em:rgy, the1·t· chief of staff who had been one of will be no more tune either to tra1n the su1·vivors of the last war, and the needed manJIOwc•· or for the JHO· who had been following the advices duction of matet·ial and SUJ1phes b} of great captains like Napoleon and manufacturers after the dcclaraloon Fn~derkk the Great, commented not of war. It JS necessary that befort· on the strategical 01· tactical points wa1· begins ail"planc!<, ~un<~ and othLikewise, Senatot· Ruperto Kangleon, one of the most distinguished figures in Wodd War II, underscored to his countrymen, when he was still Secretary of National Defense, the necessity of prcparin~ this country fot· emergency. Th_ (· preparation this country needs is the establishment of a government Munition Plant It should be borne in mind that national security is and had always been a must project of any nation, big or small, because in the defensl" of a country, it is not manpowet· alone that wins the war, but also and more important the weapons which its manpower uses in repel ling aggressors. It is equally essential that these weapons be made t·eady at all times for use of the already-trained reserves. Senator Kangleon therefore introduced, during the last session of Congress, Senate Bill No. 352 enti tied "Arsenal Bill", but this bill was allegedly killed by pressures from some quarters. er equipment be in the hand~ of It will be recalled that Major Gentroops." era] Robert Cannon, then Chief of Viewed from the standpoint of the JUSMAG, in a letter to the Secsaid statement of General Duque retary of National Defense, diseourwho is considered one of the fore- aged the establishment of a muni most military strategists in the coun- lion plant in the Philippines because tt·y who have a firm grasp of the he believed that "from the military local military scheme, the lessons viewpoint, the present strength of learned as a result of the last war the AFP and that of the foreseeable are not a matter !or conjecture. The force could not normally use the togeneral is !or military preparedness. tal product of the proposed plant." He is agitating for the preparation Furthermore, Cannon said, the fact of the Philippines not for military that the machinery, spare parts, reaggression but for national security. placements and raw materials for . Sen. Huperto Kanglt>on shelved dudng the last session, the author of the bill did not stop his agitation for establishment of the at·senal. He pushed ~hrough with mo1·e vigor as well as encouragement from endorsing veterans quarters and the Secretary of National Defense, and from those who suf fered in Bataan and Corregidor, his munition plant project. A recommendation of the Department of National Defense supporting the bill and its author called the attention of the lawmaking body to the heavy price paid by Filipino soldiers during the war when they went to the such plant would have to be impo11.- battlefield wholly unprepared and cd, does not make expenditures for totally dependent upon the United • the at·senal advisable. States for military supplies. The Local industrialists, however, said said sad experiences O.uring World that some of the raw materials need- War II, still vivid in the minds of <>d are available locally, and that survivors, were a result of the lack labo1· here in running one such plant of facilities to produce the arms and is very much cheaper. Fut·thermore, ammunition needed to continue a raw materials imported will occupy more effective resistance against the less shipping space than that occu- enemy. They are a grim reminder pied by im ported finished products. of the urgency of approving the ar· The value of raw materials is less senal project of Senator Kangleon. than that of finished products, and Expenditures so the shipping and insurance charg- The proposal for establishment of es will equally be less. a government arsenal which was Local Materials approved during the second session The much needed ammonium ni- of the Third Congress of the Philtrate, according to local experts, ippines is in the right direction for can be produced by the Maria Cris- national security, self-respect •and tina Hydro-EiectJ·ic Plant which is a sound investment. The appropriaat present turning out ammonium lion involved in the project is sulphate for fertilizer. Lead and P'5,145,193.00 as an initial capital to iron ore, abundant in this countt·y, run the government arsenal. could be utilized in the manufacture Senator Kangleon, when briefed of ammunition instead of importing two months ago by Colonel Manuel them from Japan. Salientes, AFP logistics chief, on the Although Senate Bill No. 352 was estimated production cost and output of the ammunition plant, was told nal would go a long way in easing that the factory, will originally have our total dependence upon the Unitan output of 21 million rounds of ed States for our basic military arms caliber .30 and .45 a year. Salien- and ammunition, as well as work tes estimated that the yearly pro- towards the gradual industrializaduction cost is P'2,590,006.00 or tion of our country. P.1234 per ammunition manufactur- While we have seemed to have aced which is very much lowet· than cepted the flattering role of a leadan imported ammunition. On this er nation in Asia, the wretched fact point alone, it can be safely said remains that up to now we cannot that the investment would be sound. even fire the guns doled out by UnBesides the dividends in terms of cle Sam unless we request for bulself-respect and national security lets to load the same. The Philipwould be great. Labor in the plant pines has depended and is still decould be minimized fut·ther by uti!- pending upon US aid through the izing Armed Forces of tht Philippines Mutual Defense Assistance Pact for personnel in the production of the all her military equipment, ammuvital materials. nition and other supplies. Under ltamification.s this arrangement, there seems to be Senator Kangleon explained, when no problem at all. Yet the equally he introduced the bill, that the wretched fact remains that in most es~ab!isllment of a government arse- cases, as revealed by Senator KangI'IIILIPJ' I N~;!! ARMED ~'ORO;S JOURNA-l J>holo obo•e shows !he gro~e• ol vnOno,..n <oldiers- o proof o/lhe price ol vnprepor ed oeu "' in t~e lo" ,..or fh<tse soldi•rs wen! to wor wolh onodeqvole ammvnolion' leon, the kind, quantity and quality when all the other plants of the arof anns, atnmunition and equipment senal under the provision of said Acl made available to us are often sub- shall have been constructed. ject to the dictates aud limitations Merits of Arsena l tmposed by the United States au- Advancing his opinion on the adthorities. Under such considerations, vantages of having a goverument Kangleon said, it can not be denied arsenal, Kangleor\ enumerated five that the training, organization, arm- merits aside from the national presament and equipment and even the tige to be gained in the establishdevelopment of our military estab- ment and operation of the arsenal. lishment are virtually under the con- These are: trol of the United States. (1) It will enable the government In defining his stand for the es- to supply a substantial portion of the tablishment of a government arse- peacetime 11eed of the Armed Forces nal, or the operation of the small- of the Philippines and the Police arms ammunition plant, which is the Forces for these types of annnuniinitial plant of the arsenal to be tion; constructed, Senato1· Kangleon point- (2) It will provide a nucleus for ed out that it is not the intention of ~ research center for the design and the government to do away with our development of all types of anns present system of procurement under and ammunition for military purUS aid of the types of ammunition poses; to be produced. According to him (3) It will encourage the estab the objective can be attained only lishment of related industries by p1·ivate enterprise the products of senal; and devising ways and means which will find ready market in the for the efficient mobilization of ci· different plants of the arsenal; vilian industry to augment the pro-duction of the government arsenal (4) It will establish an agency in an emergency. for mobilizing the industrial resour· The appointment of the Chief of ces of the country in the event of the Division of Munitions is made . wa1·; and by the President of the Philippines with the consent of the Commission (5) It will provide the popula- on Appointment and shall receive an tion with the much-needed experi- annual compensation of !"7,200.00. ence and technical know how in the Subject to the approval of the mass production methods and tech- Secretary of National Defense, the niques employed in modern industrial Division of Munitions will have such plants. number of military and civilian perNew Office sonnel as the Chief of the Division may deem necessary by detail, when· As stated above - the facts which ever possible, from the Armed Forces stf-ongly helped in the immediate of the Philippines. No person shall aJlproval of Senate Bill No. 352 - be appointed Chief of the Division this Act designated the agency with unless he is a natural-born citizen of which to carry out the operation of the Philippines, a chemical or mea government arsenal. It created chanica! engineer by profession with the Division of Munitions, with the at least five years' experience in Secretary of National Defense exer· ordnance service. cising supervision and control over For the safety of communities adthis government arsenal, with a chief jacent to the plant, the construction of .the division as its adviser. and location of the munition plants The Chief of the Division of Mu- shall be consistent with the requirenitions is charged with the respon- ments of security and the principles sibility of making continuous study of modern warfare. or and advising the Secretary of The establishment of a gover11ment National Defense on all matters per- arsenal therefore, a project long taining to the design, development, dead before it was born, was resurmanufacture, procurement, stockpil- rected. It became a reality from ing, and allocation of small arms, a dream envisioned by Senator Kangmortars and other infantry weapons, leon, in whose memory are still viammunition for these weapons, and vid the devastation and great losa other munition; of recommending po- of precious lives during the Japanlicies, rules and regulations to the ese invasion due to our lack of faSecretary of National Defense for cilities to produce and manufacture the efricient operation, maintenance the arms and ammunition needed for and security of the government ar· effective defense.