Manila, Aug. 11 -- Lt. Gen. Donald Gumiran on Tuesday formally assumed command of the Philippine Army (PA) and vowed to transform the service into a "future-ready force".

He succeeded former PA chief then Lt. Gen. Antonio Nafarrete who was promoted to full general upon his assumption as Armed Forces of Philippines chief of staff last July 21.

The newly installed PA chief is a member of Philippine Military Academy Class of 1992 and served as head of the Western Mindanao Command and many other key military posts before assuming command of the Army.

In his assumption speech at Army headquarters in Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City, Gumiran said he aims to "build a stronger, more capable, and future-ready force."

He expressed willingness to pro...