The Philippines' Contribution to Hemispheric Defense
Abstract
1. PROBLEM: To analyze the present capabilities and the future potential of the Philippines in contributing to Hemispheric Defense. 2. DISCUSSION: a. The Philippines are a group of some 8,000 islands on the western edge of the Pacific Ocean in the center of the Far East. An idea of its strategic location may be had from the following table of air distances Manila to: Miles Tokyo 1800 Vladivostok 1900 Shanghai 1100 Hongkong 700 Canton 780 Saigon 1000 Guam 1600 Bangkok 1300 Singapore 1500 Darwin 1700 Tarakan 820 Balikpapan 1130 b. The Islands are mainly agricultural and the principal products are: rice, corn, coconut oil, lumber, hemp, sugar and minerals including gold, chrome, manganese and copper. There is no oil in commercial quantities in the Islands. c. The government of the Philippines is republican in form and her 19,000,000 inhabitants are strongly imbued with democratic ideals absorbed during 47 years of close association with the United States. Being a democracy, her defense forces are necessarily small but capable of being augmented by a citizen army in case of war. There are 3 major commands, Army, Navy and Air placed under a single Chief of Staff' for National Defense Forces.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 10, 1949
- Accession Number
- ADA635355
Entities
People
- Jose Francisco
Organizations
- United States Army Command and General Staff College