Acknowledged within the military institution and civil society as well that a purely military solution remains inadequate.

This is because the security concerns that are being addressed are multi-faceted, with the armed capability being only one of their characteristics. There is therefore a need for complementary and concerted effort from other stakeholders to address the structural issues that fuel insurgencies.

The new afp internal peace and security plan (ipsp) was borne out of a series of consultations and an intensive workshop with representatives from civil society groups, the academe, and civilian government agencies. The planning timeframe for the ipsp is six years, from 2011 to 2016.

In a nutshell, the ipsp is a paradigm shift in how the afp views its internal security operations. It focuses on winning the peace instead of defeating the enemy. It gives equal emphasis on the combat and non-combat dimensions of military operations. Of course, it goes without saying that this also calls for the development of additional non-combat parameters for success.

Moreover, success is hinged on the involvement of all stakeholders as much as on military operations. Thus it is an open documentall stakeholders can access the document. In fact, they are involved from the planning phase to the implementation and evaluation phases.

The ipsp is divided into nine parts, as shown on the slide.

First is the background, which discusses the planning process and the rationale for the new plan. The ipsp is the afps contribution to the commander-in-chiefs security agenda which focuses on the people and calls for a multi-stakeholder approach to peace and security.

The second portion is on the purpose of the plan. The ipsp is the broad plan that shall guide the afp and its units in helping the nation attain and sustain internal peace and security in the near and medium-term.

The third portion deals with the strategic environment, specifically the area of operations and its characteristics, the characteristics of the strategic environment, internal armed threat groups, and the stakeholders to peace and security. Internal armed threat groups can be classified into three categories: ideology-based groups which include the npa, milf and misuari group, terrorist groups, referring to the asg, ji and foreign terrorists, and auxilary threat groups such as the pentagon gang, al khobar group, and partisan armed groups.

Other security concerns, external and non-traditional, were likewise taken into consideration.

Emphasis is given to security stakeholders. Without the participation of all, internal peace and security may prove to remain elusive. Key stakeholders are government instrumentalities national government agencies, local government units, the Philippine national police, and the afp; the civil society as represented by civil society organizations, non-government organizations

and peoples organizations, and the entire filipino citizenrythe ultimate beneficiaries of internal peace and security.

In addition to a scan of the environment, the plan is founded on security policies and guidance from the national government and the defense department. These are discussed in parts four and five. The approach of the current administrations national security thrust involves four specific elements: governance, delivery of basic services, ecnomic reconstruction and sustainable development, and security sector reform.

As regards the national defense policy, the primary goal of the dnd-afp is to support the thrust of the national government to promote peace and development. Thus, the afp shall work towards strategically defeating the npa and ensuring territorial integrity. To do so, the afp is directed to engage all stakeholders. For its part, the defense department shall support the afp in the performance of this mission through capability upgrade initiatives.

Part six lays down the strategic assumptions of the plan. First, it is assumed that there will be no significant change in the security environment during the entire period of the plans implementation. Similarly, it is assumed that there will be no significant change in the policy environment. Also, the threat groups shall continue to resort to armed struggle to achieve their political goals. Moreover, they will continue to exploit equity and political issues to gain popular support for this armed struggle.

The afp mission for internal peace and security is found in part seven, while part eight is devoted to the afps internal peace and security strategy. This briefing shall elaborate on parts seven and eight. The new plan allows the afp to give equal attention and focus to its twin roles as protector of the people and protector of the state. In doing so, its efforts shall be focused on the more significant goal of winning the peace, beyond simply defeating the enemy. It is in this light that the afps mission for internal peace and security has been redrawn as the afp conducts support operations to win the peace in order to help the filipino nation create an environment conducive for sustainable development and a just and lasting peace.

Therefore, the afp endeavors to reach an end-state where the capabilities of internal armed threats are reduced to a level that they can no longer threaten the stability of the state and civil authorities can ensure the safety and well-being of the people.

This shall be attained through the accomplishment of the following strategic objectives: Contribute to the success of the peace process; Maintain a professional armed forces serving under firm democratic civilian control; Defeat the asg, ji and their allied armed threat groups Contribute to the resolution of conflict with the npa, milf, and other armed threat groups; Contribute to the establishment of conditions for civil authorities to take responsibility for the safety and well-being of their constituents; and,

Support developmental, environmental protection, disaster risk reduction and management, and law enforcement activities.

The plan shall utilize effects-based operations that are tailored for each of the armed threat groups. Afp inititives shall be conducted to defeat terrorist groups. On the other hand, with regard to secessionist groups, the projected national end-state is a negotiated political settlement within the bounds of the philippine constitution. For the npa, the desired effect is that it shall be pushed to abandon armed struggle and therefore rendering the npa irrelevant.

In order to reach these strategic intents, the ipsp espouses a paradigm shift on how the afp views it mandate of protecting the people and the state from armed internal security threats. The primary objective shall be to win the peace. The winning the peace framework is a shift from a predominantly militaristic solution to a people-centered security strategy that is founded on broad-based consultations and engagements with key stakeholders. Beyond the immediate goal of diminishing the armed capability of threat groups, the afp shall focus on the long-term and more important effects of its military operations on the people and communities, their way of life, and well-being.

This means that military operations shall be conducted within the ambit of the governments peace strategy. This does not mean that the afp is veering away from internal security operations and its traditional professional specialization of managing violence and the use of legitimate force. The militarys primary role is to address the armed capability of groups who threaten the security of the state, the people, and the communities.

A focus on winning the peace is likewise an acknowledgment that a purely military solution will never be enough to fully address internal challenges to peace. Unity and harmony of efforts with other stakeholders is essential. Inasmuch as the objective of military operations is not just to protect the state but also to protect the people, the people themselves must be active participants in the pursuit of peace and security. Therefore, to win the peace, the ipsp, from its planning to its implementation and evaluation shall be underpinned by two strategic approaches: the whole of nation approach and the people-centered approach. These two approaches shall be discussed further.

The whole of nation approach is but a natural progression of the governments earlier whole-ofgovernment approach. The comprehensive definition of security, with focus on the well-being of the people, entails a multi-faceted and multi-pronged approach. The whole of nation approach seeks to bring about a concerted effort among all stakeholders towards national peace and security. It must be clarified that this approach is not just about burden sharing. It is about creating a concept and understanding of security that is shared not just among security forces and government institutions but also with civil society and the communities. This shared responsibility can only emanate from a shared concept of security. A whole of nation approach can only be attained through a sustained multi-stakeholder effort borne out of partnerships with different government institutions, non-government stakeholders such as ngos and csos, and the local communities.

In this context, the role of the afp is to catalyze the involvement of all stakeholders and facilitate the synergy of all of these efforts. It shall actively engage its counterparts and partners in consultation and dialogue, forge partnerships, and build a broad peace and security constituency.

People-centered approach. A people-centered security within the frame of human security puts the peoples welfare at the center of military operations. It supports human development and therefore gives primacy to human rights and also explores ways for promoting local security and safety based on the needs and realities of communities on the ground. For the afp, the successful implementation of this plan with armed conflicts successfully addressed is the primary contribution of the afp to human security.

For these strategic framework and approaches to lead to lasting and meaningful results, all afp operations must be guided by two overarching strategic imperatives. The first imperative is adherence to human rights (hr), international humanitarian law (ihl), and the rule of law (rol). Second, it is imperative that all stakeholders be involved in the pursuit of internal peace and security.

These strategic imperatives must underpin the strategic concepts, which are defined as courses of action that must be taken by the afp. The first strategic concept is for the afp to contribute to the permanent and peaceful closure of all armed conflicts. This translates to adhering to the primacy of the peace process. Military capabilities shall only be employed if merited by the security situation in an area. Equally important, the afp shall adhere to agreements on cessation of

hostilities or suspension of military activities that may be entered into by the national government in support of peace negotiations. The afp shall likewise actively support, advocate, and participate in the peacebuilding discourse in the country. It shall hold consultations and dialogue with various sectors in the fulfillment of its support role in the governments peace thrust. The afp shall likewise provide support and assistance in the rehabilitation and reconstruction of conflict-affected areas.

This notwithstanding, it must be emphasized that the primary role of the afp in the peace process is to ensure that the armed group with whom the government is talking peace with will be unable to use force or threaten to use force as leverage in the negotiating table. The afp stands ready to respond and address any such attempt by armed threat groups.

The second strategic concept involves the afps conduct of focused military operations against armed threat groups. Under this concept, the afp shall apply the legitimate use of force. Military operations shall focus on the armed components only of insurgent groups. These shall be conducted with zero tolerance for collateral damage and must complement the efforts of other stakeholders in addressing the roots of the conflict. Moreover, military operations shall be conducted within the ambit of the governments broader peace framework and shall seek to complement the initiatives of civilian authorities in addressing the root causes of conflict. It is likewise emphasized that the afp shall use distinct methodologies for each threat group.

For the communist insurgency to abandon its armed struggle, it is critical that the entire citizenry applies social pressure on the npa and impress upon them that the use of force to achieve political goals is not acceptable to the people. As a corollary to this, the afp shall foster closer relations with the citizenry. Non-combat development-focused military activities shall be conducted to show threat groups and stakeholders alike that the government is sincere in addressing the roots of conflict. These shall be complemented with sustained, deliberate, accurate, and precise military combat operations. It must be emphasized that the intensified and relentless pursuit of the npa is intended to exhaust their armed capabilities and diminish their will to fight. Therefore, for guerillas who choose to turn away from the armed struggle, avenues for their peaceful return to mainstream society shall be laid down.

In addressing the milf, the afp shall adhere to the primacy of the peace process. In support of government efforts under the peace process, the afp shall maintain a credible deterrent posture while maintaining its readiness and willingness to use legitimate force to address attempts by the milf to provoke or initiate armed hostilities. It shall likewise not hesitate to undertake focused military operations to protect communities from rogue elements of the milf who resort to atrocities.

Afp internal peace and security efforts shall be unequivocal in defeating terrorist groups. The asg shall be isolated on four fronts. First, it shall be deprived of mass base support. Second, its ties with other domestic threat groups shall be severed to prevent them from radicalizing these groups and seeking sanctuary with them. Third, their links with foreign terrorist organizations shall also be severed to stem the entry of resources and technical capabilities. Lastly, they shall

be denied of foreign support and influence. Once the terrorist group has been effectively isolated, military force can be applied with precision and reduced collateral damage.

As for the third strategic concept, the afp shall support community-based peace and development efforts at all levels of government. In doing so, afp peace and development teams shall be at the forefront of securing and bringing peace and development to conflict-affected communities. The afp shall also contribute in sustaining community development initiatives through the construction of basic social infrastructure.

Fourth, the afp shall carry out its own initiatives in the context of the governments security sector reform (ssr). Afp ssr efforts shall be geared towards its capability development, the professionalization of its ranks, and involvement of stakeholders in afp initiatives. It must be emphasized that by undertaking the necessary reforms, the afp stands to increase its institutional efficiency and is able to take the moral high ground in its fight against armed threats to internal peace and security.

To enable the afp to adapt to the paradigm shift, the development of strategic means or the necessary capabilities is in order. Primarily, military capabilities or mission-essential capabilities must be enhanced for the afp to impose the desired effects on the different threat groups while avoiding collateral damage. The afp shall seek to improve its mobility, firepower and accuracy, communication, survivability, and ability to detect armed threat groups. The afp shall likewise seek hone warfighting skills and warrior spirit of our soldiers and at the same time inculcating in them human rights, international humanitarian law, and the rule of law.

To complement these capabilities, the afp must likewise develop the ability for inter-agency and stakeholders coordination in order to fully implement its whole of nation approach to internal peace and security. Lastly, soldiers must likewise be trained as peacebuilders, with the capacity for the pre-emption and management of armed violence as well as contribute in the resolution of conflicts.

In sum, while it is true that the philippines has long been saddled by diverse threats to its internal peace and security, it is equally true that these challenges can be fully addressed and peace and security achieved through the concerted and united efforts of all stakeholders. The ipsp is the afps contribution to this national aspiration.