Lt. Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. formally assumed command of the 150,000-strong Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) as its 60th Chief of Staff on Friday, July 21, as he revealed his “five-point focus areas” that are aligned with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr’s call for national unity.
(L) Lt. Gen. Romeo Brawner stands in attention as President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. receives the command saber from General Andres Centino during the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Change of Command and Retirement Ceremony in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City on July 21, 2023. The saber is a symbol of responsibility that goes with command and authority, and is closely associated with military leadership. The hand over of command symbol represents dynamism of the military organization. (Screenshot from RTVM livestream)
Brawner replaced General Andres Centino, who retired after a military career spanning 35 years, in a ceremony presided over by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City.
“I may not be the perfect candidate for this position but you can be assured, sir, that I will give my steadfast loyalty, my utmost professionalism, and my absolute commitment to the Constitution and to the duly-constituted authorities,” Brawner told Marcos in his assumption speech.
Brawner graduated from the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) “Makatao” Class of 1989 where he finished Top 2 among his class.
Prior to becoming the AFP Chief, he served as the Commanding General of the Philippine Army.
He also held key positions in the military such as battalion commander of the 2nd Special Forces Battalion; operations officer of the Special Forces Regiment (Airborne); chief of staff of the 6th Infantry “Kampilan” Division; chief of public affairs of Philippine Army; and spokesperson of AFP.
He also became the regiment commander of the Civil-Military Operations Regiment; brigade commander of 103rd Infantry Brigade during the aftermath of the Marawi siege in 2017; Commandant of Cadet Corps in the PMA; Deputy Chief of Staff for Financial Management of AFP; and commander of 4th Infantry “Diamond” Division.
Brawner is the third Chief of Staff of the AFP appointed by Marcos within the first year of his presidency following Centino, who carried over his post from the previous Duterte administration until August 2022 and was reappointed in January 2023; and General Bartolome Vicente Bacarro, who served from August 2022 to January 2023.
Meanwhile, Centino, a product of the PMA “Maringal” Class of 1988, is expected to be appointed by Marcos as the Presidential Adviser on West Philippine Sea as the Commander-in-Chief wants his administration to bring a new sense of focus in dealing with the territorial conflict in the disputed waters.
‘UNITY’
In his assumption speech, Brawner said his leadership at the AFP will center on five focus areas dubbed as “U.N.I.T.Y.” or unification, normalization, internal security operations, territorial defense, and youth. The call for unity is the same branding of Marcos when he ran for presidency.
Unification refers to the AFP’s internal and external operations. Brawner said that he will ensure a “solid and professional” military organization where “all members of the AFP, whether they are officers, enlisted personnel or civilian human resource, should follow the chain of command.”
“Externally, we will help unite our communities. We will make sure that the former rebels unite once again with their families as we extend our hands in reconciliation,” he added.
Normalization pertains to the normalization process of former Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) fighters in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM). Brawner vowed to give special attention to the disarmament, demobilization and reintegration of former MILF rebels to preserve the peace in the southern part of the country.
For internal security operations, Brawner emphasized that the AFP is not yet contented with the “strategic victory” it achieved over local terrorist groups and communist groups nationwide following the neutralization of its members and leaders.
“We shall immediately defeat the remaining local terrorist groups and the communist terrorist group to attain total victory. We have to sustain the dividends of peace by making sure that there will be no resurgence of insurgency and terrorism in our country,” Brawner stressed.
Brawner will also focus on territorial defense as he mentioned that the AFP remains committed to the call of Marcos to not give even an inch of Philippine territory to any foreign power.
“The AFP will endeavor to modernize its personnel, equipment, facilities, processes and systems so as to enable it to be a lethal and competent fighting force, capable of defending our territory from external aggression,” he said.
To achieve this, the new AFP chief will push for the continuation of the military’s modernization program which is now on its third and final “horizon.”
The third horizon will entail the acquisition of multi-role fighter aircraft, naval assets, command and control (C2) systems, and other shore-based deterrent capabilities.
Brawner also mentioned that the AFP will improve its cyber warfare capabilities as part of the AFP modernization under his leadership.
“I see cyber[space] as a great equalizer and we have great potential to be a player in the cyber domain,” he said.
Finally, Brawner said that the AFP will do its part in "developing the Filipino youth."
“One way of doing this is through the proper and relevant conduct of the ROTC [Reserved Officers’ Training Corps] program. This will also coincide with our efforts to develop our reserve force,” he stated.
Brawner ended his speech with a call on the entire AFP organization to “remain faithful” to their oath as protectors of the nation and the servants of the Filipino people. In return, he assured the soldiers, marines, sailors, and airmen of his dedication to provide all of their needs so they can perform their duties well.
“Our mission is to ensure that this administration is successful in governing our nation, in securing our peace, and in protecting our territory at all costs,” Brawner said.