FORT
BONIFACIO, Taguig City – The Special Operations Command (SOCOM) welcomes the appointment of
its new commander in a Change of Command ceremony at the SOCOM Headquarters in
Fort Magsaysay on Monday, January 21 at 9:00am.
Lt General Emmanuel Bautista, the newly appointed AFP Chief, will preside the solemn turn over rites that will be attended by senior military officers and their loved ones.
Lt General Emmanuel Bautista, the newly appointed AFP Chief, will preside the solemn turn over rites that will be attended by senior military officers and their loved ones.
Brigadier
General Jet B. Velarmino is appointed to head the AFP’s elite forces, replacing
Major General Romulo Bambao who is set to retire from the military service upon
reaching the mandatory retirement age of 56.
Velarmino will hold the post in an acting capacity while awaiting the designation of the permanent commander.
Velarmino will hold the post in an acting capacity while awaiting the designation of the permanent commander.
New
Commander
Velarmino is regarded as a
highly respected and professional military officer. He is lauded for his
exemplary services both in the field and in staff positions.
Prior to
his appointment, Velarmino was the Deputy Commander of SOCOM. He also served as
Commander of the 101st Brigade of the 1st Infantry
Division in Mindanao.
He also
became the Chief of Staff of the 1st Infantry Division; Inspector
General, 7th Infantry Division; Defense and Armed Forces Attache to
Malaysia and Inspector General, Intelligence Service Armed Forces of the
Philippines.
He also commanded the 51st
Infantry Battalion, 1st Infantry Division for two years.
Early on his career, he
led the 12 Special Forces Company, Special Forces Regiment Airborne (SFRA)
which was deployed in Mindanao. After which, he became the Intelligence Officer
and Operations Officer of the 6th Special Forces Battalion, SFRA in
Visayas and eventually commanded the said battalion in 1996.
Velarmino,
52, is a member of the PMA Class of 1982.
The Elite Forces
Out of the Army Special
Warfare Brigade (ASWABde) that was organized in 1978, SOCOM continued to evolve
and is now a home to the Army’s elite forces – Special Forces Regiment
(Airborne), the First Scout Ranger Regiment, and the Light Reaction Battalion.
SOCOM was formed with the
responsibility to plan, conduct, and support special operations of the
Philippine Army. It's organic units include the First Scout Ranger Regiment,
Special Forces (Airborne) and the Light Reaction Battalion.
The First Scout
Ranger Regiment specializes in anti-guerrilla warfare and is credited to
the various successes in combat in the past years..
The Special Forces
Regiment (Airborne) is also trained in the art of counter-insurgency
operations. It is primarily trained in unconventional warfare operations and
psychological warfare operations.
The newest member of
SOCOM, the Light Reaction Battalion (formerly known as the Light Reaction Company),
was established in the year 2000.
It is the lead counter-terrorist unit of the Philippine Army trained by American military advisers from the 1stBattalion, 1st Special Forces Group. The LRC was first deployed in Mindanao to combat Abu Sayyaf Group terrorists responsible for abducting several foreign hostages.
It is the lead counter-terrorist unit of the Philippine Army trained by American military advisers from the 1stBattalion, 1st Special Forces Group. The LRC was first deployed in Mindanao to combat Abu Sayyaf Group terrorists responsible for abducting several foreign hostages.
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