Words: 1982
The speech of the Commander of the Naval Education and Training Command (CENT) discuss the seriousness of the conduct of Naval Command and Staff Course Class (NCSC) due to his active involvement in the class activities. He also underscores “Mind Power Precedes Sea Power’. Our Navy is lagging behind but with our strategy, tactics and utilizing what we have we can win battles wherein, he looks at the Vietnamese as the model of true fighting force. That is what he wants to develop to the officers, to carry on the mission of the Philippine Navy.
He also emphasizes on the modernization of our navy which is very important and with that, we have a lot of work to do. Taking NCSC is not just for promotion but to be able to handle what is demanded from us, the students of NCSC. He wants us to have a positive outlook on the challenges that we face, to develop a system and a good scheduling of our activities. He also stress that we have a lot of resources and sometimes we do not need to go far to look for what we need. Also, he wants us to generate new ideas, new ideas from old once and fresh view of things, views that can move us, the Navy, forward very fast.
If the countries that cause threat to us are moving leap and bounce we cannot afford or merely crawl or walk we have to be running very fast. He also said that we will be future staff officers and commanders and a lot is expected from us in a way. We are the hope of our navy we have to stand up on your own. Moreover, he said what we need are people like you who will be able help us be a navy that will be able to defend our country without aid hopefully. It is for us a matter of pride that we can defend what we have. He also underscore also that dying is not good if you have not done your mission.
Mission accomplishment precedes dying a heroic death. And lastly, he bid good luck, challenge us to find the value in the challenge and hope that e will be more useful in our respective units after the course. Body: As I understand from the opening statement of the Commander of Naval Education and Training Command (CENT) the conduct of Naval Command and Staff Course (NCSC) will be taken seriously since it was made serious by the commander himself. He underscores “Mind Power Precedes Sea Power”. He is correct in saying that “We must be first of all sharp of mind so that we must be able to predict or even prevent superior opponents. Since with the present force capability of our Navy we are inferior compared to the overpowers and the only thing we can do is utilized effectively and efficiently what we have with Our God given talent and skills and our unmatched strategy and tactics, we can win battles. Agree with CENT that “it is no secret that the Philippine Navy is lagging behind in force capabilities compared to our neighboring countries more particularly those executing or posting threat to our sovereignty and our interest, it is in this light that we should take extra effort in building ourselves up.
First of all thru personal positive building, our strength will depend on the viability of our men, women particularly Officers, to develop strategy and tactics. To win battles you will need use what you have. ” Yes, with what we have in our Navy force capability it is true that we are lagging behind the navy of countries that are executing or posting threat to our sovereignty and our interest but what can we do it is utilize all what we have, we should just make the most out of it. Truly, what we can do is to educate and train our officers, men and women to develop strategy and tactics with the resources that we have.
He looks at the Vietnamese as “the model of a true fighting Orca, because the Vietnamese can easily overcome and determinable overcome every obstacle. They have beaten the superpowers, they have done their history, beaten the Chinese, Japanese, and the French then before they beaten the United States of America. It is no secret that they were on their pajamas, slippers and straw hats when they were battling the bombers, fighter jets, aircraft carriers, tanks, helicopters and other weapons of the superpowers and in the end they prevail.
Not so much with their material resources but more with their spirit and ingenuity of their people. ” And that is hat he wants for the Naval Command and Staff Course. He wants to develop staff officers that can carry the load the navy requires. Yes the Vietnamese triumph in their battles against the superpowers during that time and they are so proud of that. They have successfully utilized all their resources and they successfully taken all advantage on their side that’s why they succeeded. Live that the superpowers during that time have all the resources, that is why they are called superpowers, however they lacks the strategy and tactics that they need to win their battles. And this is also what I expect to attain or enhanced during the course. But it does not stop there, we should also continue our modernization program since Rear Admiral Shares said “The Navy now is in the verge of modernizing or actually modernizing and a lot is a matter. We cannot go on thinking that we have no work to do, we have to do a lot of work”.
While we are modernizing our equipment or upgrading our force capability, building up our personnel capability should also go hand and hand. This is to make sure that we have “the right person for the right job” and also to utilize our modern equipment properly, effectively and efficiently. Moreover, it is true that taking NCSC is not just for promotion but to be equipped to handle what is demanded from us by the Navy with our modernization programs at hand. Further, modernizing our navy will give a strong posture of our military might to uphold our sovereignty and national interest.
Rear Admiral Square wants us to have “positive outlook on the challenges that we will be facing. We have to develop a system and a good scheduling of your activities. We have a lot of resources, sometimes we do not need to go far. ” In life challenges are everywhere, challenges are difficult if it is not it is not a challenge anymore. They are difficult but there is always a way to solve it. It is only up to us to figure out. For me, taking up NCSC is a challenge since some officers do prefer to take their advance courses outside the Navy, for them NCSC is difficult while for those who already finished, it is worth the effort.
I believe that I will just do what is required and make extra effort to learn and manage my time so I can cope up with the standards of .NET as what we can see printed on the buildings, “Raise the Standards”. Also, he wants us to “generate new ideas, new ideas from old once and fresh view of things, views that can move us forward very fast. If the countries that cause threat to us are moving leap and bounce we cannot afford or merely crawl or walk we have to be running very fast. ” For me this means that we should be creative, we should not keep on using those obsolete ideas by our forebears.
Their time is already expired and it is already our time now. Remember the saying “nothing is constant except changeewe change for the betterment of our Navy, but then again, we should not forget their ideas, thinking and knowledge. We can still improve those ideas to create suitable once during our present time. According to the Rear Admiral, “we will be the future staff officers and meanders, and a lot is expected from us in a way. We are the hope of our navy we have to stand up on your own. What we need are people like you who will be able help us be a navy that will be able to defend our country without aid hopefully.
It is for us a matter of pride that we can defend what we have. ” Hopefully when our time comes to be the staff officers and commanders that he is talking about, we were able to fulfill what are the expectations from us. Truly it is a pride and honor to be able to defend our country and people without the aid of other countries. With this I can say that our Navy is “Strong and Credible. He also underscore also that “dying is not good if you have not done your mission. Mission accomplishment precedes dying a heroic death.
It is so easy to die heroically but if you have not done your mission that is useless death. So I want you to look at this mind set because it is so easy for us to abandon things telling that we are brave, we can just face the bullets coming at us but We still have people to protect, We have territories to defend and We have sovereignty to uphold and that requires us to triumph to win”. For the Rear Admiral, what understand is that, if you die and failed to accomplish the session it is failure, if you die but accomplished your mission it is good while if you survive and accomplish the mission its better.
Same is true with my beliefs, except that it is right to recognize in natty even if you die but failed to accomplish your mission specifically when I knew that at least you die trying. Lastly, Rear Admiral Square bid us the students good luck, challenge us to find the value in the challenge and hope that we will be more useful in our respective units after the course. For me, it will be a rewarding opportunity to be included in this NCSC Class 78 after my almost 3 years stint s a brigade staff in the area Central Mindanao, expecting that will learn a lot from this schooling and plus the eligibility of being promoted as a bonus.
Conclusion: In conclusion, truly there are lots of things to be done taking into account our Navy Vision by Year 2020. I will always remember Rear Admiral Square when he said “Mind Power Precedes Sea Power”. Our Navy is lagging behind our neighboring countries in terms of force capability but with our strategy and tactics we will win battles against the superpowers. So much for the inferiority of the Philippine Navy in terms of force capability we have our Modernization Program for that, for now my task is to be educated and trained in this prestigious institution.
With this schooling I’m taking, I’m looking forward to “Raising My Standards” for the Philippine Navy. I do believe that everyone can have their fair share in contributing to the Philippine Navy to move forward and I do believe will be exerting a lot of effort to learn much in this Naval Command and Staff Course to help the Philippine Navy attain its mission “By 2020: We shall be Strong and Credible Navy that our Maritime Nation can be Proud of. ” And I hope that our Navy Organization and the Marine Corps will be proud of me in the near future.