[dragoon500ly]

And here are the Republic of the Philippines

Population: 50,800,000
Army: 60,000
5 infantry divisions
1 special warfare bde (consists of 2 ranger, 1 mountain bn and 5 scout coys)
2 engineer bdes
1 light armored regiment
4 artillery regiments

28 Scorpion light tanks
80 M-113 APCs
20 Chaimite APCs
200 105mm towed hows
12 155mm towed hows
108 81mm mortars
24 107mm mortars
150 75mm/90mm/106mm RCLs
(on order 12 UH-1H helos)
Reserves: 20,000 forming 18 infantry bns; another 70,000 with reserve commitments

Navy: 28,000 (including 9,600 marines and 2,000 Coast Guard)
7 ex-US frigates (4 Casco, 1 Savage, 1 Cannon)
10 corvettes
3 FAC(M)
16 large patrol craft
59 coastal patrol craft
3 support ships
24 LSTs, 4 LSMs, 61 LCMs, 3 LCUs, 7 LCVPs
1 SAR sqn with 9 Islander ac, 5 BO-105 helos
3 marine bdes (total 9 bns) with 30 LVTP-5, 55 LVTP-7 APCs, 46 105mm towed hows, 100 107mm mortars
Reserves: 12,000

Air Force: 16,800
1 FGA sqn with 24 F-8H
1 interceptor sqn with 19 F-5A, 3 F-5B
1 fighter/training sqn with 10 T-34A
1 COIN sqn with 16 SD-260WP
2 COIN sqns with 20 T-28D
1 Helicopter wing with 50 UH-1H
1 Presidential tpt sqn with 1 Boeing 707, 1 BAC-111, 1 YS-11 ac, 1 S-62A, 2
UH-1N, 1 Puma helo
1 tpt sqn with 4 C-130H
1 tpt sqn with 5 C-47, 8 F-27, 3 F-27MR
1 tpt sqn with 12 Nomad
1 tpt sqn with 12 Islander
1 helo sqn with 12 BO-105
1 liaison sqn with 4 O-1E, 1 Cessna U-17A, 8 Beaver (being withdrawn)
1 weather sqn with 3 Cessna 210
(on order 16 Bell 412, 17 S-76, 2 S-70A5 helos)
Reserves: 16,000

Paramilitary Forces:
Philippine Constabulary: 43,500 forming 1 bde, 13 bns and 180 coys (by law part of armed forces)
Civil Home Defense Force: 65,000

Since its independence in 1946, the Philippines has relied almost exclusively upon the US for external security and used its armed forces essentially for internal security. Recently, the ROP has attempted to establish itself as an independent, nonaligned nation. It maintains its long standing relationship with the US, but it also emphasizes its ties with Japan and its fellow ASEAN nations (Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand). Since 1972, it has established diplomatic relations with twelve Communist countries (including the USSR and the PRC) and has also worked for friendly relations with the Arab nations.

Between 1946 and 1950, the Communist-inspired Hukbalahap insurgency came close to destroying the ROP. In between 1952 and 1954, this insurgency was almost eliminated by a combination of military force and clemency. In recent years, however, the insurgency has revived. It centers in the north of the Philippines on Luzon. Martial law was imposed in 1972 to deal with the problem and the estimated number of insurgents dropped from 3,000 to 1,000. However, in 1977 it reportedly rose again to 2,000. Government forces have successfully contained the rebels (now called the New People's Army).

A more serious problem for the ROP is the separatist Moslem rebellion in the southern Philippines, on Mindanao and in the Sulu Archipelago. This insurrection broke out in 1968 and intensified in 1972. More than 20,000 people have been killed since then and as many as 50,000 military personnel have deployed into the area every year. The rebels obtain arms from Libya, which also attempts to mediate. A ceasefire was arranged in 1976, but collapsed within a year. Both negotiations have recently been hampered by conflict with the rebel Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF).

Externally, the Philippines has a ongoing dispute with neighboring Malaysia over the ownership of the state of Sabah, in northeastern Borneo (it is through Sabah that weapons from Libya have been funneled to the MNLF). Malaysia now exercises sovereignty over Sabah, having inherited the 29,000 square mile region from Great Britain. The ROP claims that Britain never legally owned Sabah, which was part of the territory of the Sultan of Sulu, whose island domain is now part of the ROP. Neither side is believed likely to go to war over the dispute, and diplomatic relations, once severed, were resumed in 1969 with agreement that the Sabah dispute be held in abeyance for the time being.

Since 1946, the US has provided some $512.7 million in military assistance as well as substantial economic aid and some $700 million in war rehabilitation in grants and damage claims. A US Military Advisory Group provided extensive advice and assistance and was particularly useful during the Hukbalahap insurgency. To bolster the defense of the ROP, the US entered into three agreements: (1) the Military Bases Agreement which gave the US a ninety-nine year lease on certain military, air and naval bases (now defunct). (2) the Military Assistance Agreement wherein the US pledged to provide military assistance to the ROP (ongoing). (3) the Mutual Defense Treaty in which the ROP and the US pledged to defend each other in the case of foreign attack (ongoing)

The Philippines was an active member in the now-disbanded Southeast Asia Treaty Organization, was strongly opposed to the extension of Communist influence in the region and supported the US war in Vietnam, contributing a 2,000 man civil action group to aid community development efforts. Since the end of the Vietnam War, while maintaining its alliance with the US, it has established friendly ties with Communist and Arab countries and joined the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).