Kofi Ampeah Woode
The Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) have held the 2024 edition of the Land Combat Firepower Demonstration (LCFD) Exercise – a major live ammunition training event in the training Calendar of Ghana’s tri-service military, which is organized for students of its Command and Staff College (GAFCSC), Senior Division.
The training exercise was held at the Battle Training Camp (BTC), Bundase, in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana, on Friday 1 November 2024, with the Chief of Air Staff (CAS) – Air Vice Marshal (AVM) Frederick Kwasi Asare Bekoe as Guest of Honour, supported by the Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) – Major General (Maj Gen) Bismarck Kwasi Onwona, and the Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS) – Rear Admiral Issah Adam Yakubu.
The exercise simulated a Battle Group operating as part of a Joint Task Force, employing its resources to block and defeat an attack by a fictitious invading force, with the support of the Ghana Navy (GN) and the Ghana Air Force (GHF) in the joint action.
The Army component of the battle, saw 2 Infantry Battalion (2Bn) as the lead Battalion, supported by elements of 1 and 5 Infantry Battalions, 66 Artillery Regiment, 48 Infantry Regiment, 15 Armoured Brigade, 17 Signal Brigade, and the Army Special Operations Brigade, in the main defensive battle.
Delivering his remarks after the exercise, AVM FKA Bekoe said the training module focuses on Ghana’s concept of operations and capabilities, the nature of the land environment, amongst other learning objectives, which are intended to highlight GAF’s joint firepower, in support of sub-units operating independently, as a task force.
He urged the various stakeholders of the exercise, to leverage on its successes and identified valuable lessons that must be implemented for further success, to withstand the prevailing security situation in the West African environment and beyond, which he said stands to test Ghana’s resolve as a nation.
He further said that with GAF’s learning skills evolving, and personnel who play an important part in the national security architecture, Ghana’s military must stand in readiness to guarantee the security of the nation, to guide its building and economic growth.
AVM Bekoe lastly urged all Units of GAF, to be involved in more training exercises such as the LCFD, to place the forces in readiness to defend Ghana, and neutralize potential adversaries, whose objective is to see the nation fail.
The General Officer Commanding (GOC), Southern Command (S/COMD) – Brigadier General (Brig Gen) Samuel Yeboah Asare, said the objectives of the exercise were; to enable the students to appreciate the utilization of assets available to the Battle Group, as part of a Joint Task Force, and help to build operational framework of Deep, Close, and Rear Operations;
Secondly, it was to demonstrate Ghana Army’s concept of operations and capabilities; the nature of the land environment; and to explore the available equipment of a Battle Group, General Asare said.
He further stated that Ghana Army is the lead service in any land-based operation towards the fulfillment of GAF’s constitutional mandate – protection of the territorial integrity of Ghana against external aggression – and it is therefore, in response to this national call that the Army trains regularly, in order to sharpen its skills, in readiness for any eventuality.
The GOC added that GAF also has a secondary role of maintaining and restoring internal security (IS) in support of civil authority within the country, adding; “We are all well aware of the influx of the activities of terrorist armed groups, especially in the West African sub-region. This exercise is in part also geared towards raising the firm resolve of the Ghana Armed Forces to deal with any such threat”.
Dignitaries present included members of Ghana’s Parliamentary Select Committee on Defence, Security and Intelligence; Commandant, GAFCSC – Maj Gen Matthew Kweku Essien; Commandant, National College of Defence Studies – Maj Gen Irvine Aryeetey; Assistant Commandant, GAFCSC, Senior Division – Air Commodore Thomas Nii Fio Okai;
Others included the Commanding Officer, 2Bn – Lieutenant Colonel Edmund Osae; many Senior Officers of GAF; Students of GAFCSC’s Senior Command and Staff College Course 46 comprised of middle-level Officers from a number of African militaries; some representations from other militaries, and many other guests.
By Kofi Ampeah-Woode
