Kofi Ampeah Woode
The Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) has held its 2023 edition of the Land Combat and Firepower Demonstration for students of the Senior Division of the Ghana Armed Forces Command and Staff College (GAFCSC), Course 45, to demonstrate the joint and interoperable nature of modern operations, and to enable students appreciate the utilization of fire assets available to a Battle Group, as part of a Joint Task Force or operating independently.
The 2-day exhibition and demonstration, was crowned on Friday 27 October, 2023, at the Battle Training Camp (BTC), Bundase, near Accra, with the presence of Ghana’s Deputy Defence Minister, and Member of Parliament (MP) for Atwima-Kwanwoma – Mr Kofi Amankwa-Manu, members of Parliament’s Select-Committee on Defence and Interior, and the Military High Command.
The Deputy Minister said GAF must stand in readiness to guarantee the security of nation building and economic growth, and should not renege in its constitutional duties and responsibilities to shape lives, policies and contingencies, in the defence of the country.
“We must observe our status as a democratic nation, and jealously guard ourselves against seemingly innocuous unpatriotic activities that has the potential to derail achievements gained over the years”, Mr Amankwa-Manu said.
Presenting his welcome address, the Outgoing General Officer Commanding (GOC), Southern Command (S/COMD) – Major General (Maj Gen) Michael Amoah-Ayisi said, the exercise also showed the students how fire assets are employed within the operational framework of close and rear operations, to allow students to appreciate Ghana Army’s concept of operations and capabilities, to appreciate the nature of land environment, and to expose them to some major equipment of a Battle Group.
This joint operations training exercise, which is a major training event on the calendar of GAF, was conducted with the 5 Infantry Battalion (5Bn) as the lead battalion, supported by elements of 1 and 2 Infantry Battalions, 66 Artillery Regiment, 15 Armoured Brigade, 48 Engineer Regiment, 17 Signal Brigade, the Army Special Operations Brigade, the Ghana Navy and the Ghana Air Force.
General Amoah-Ayisi continued that, as the protection of the territorial integrity of Ghana, as a country against external aggression, is the Constitutional mandate assigned GAF, it also has a secondary responsibility of maintaining or restoring internal security in support of civil authority, with the Ghana Army as the lead Service in any land-based operations.
It is therefore, he said, in fulfilment of this national call that the Army regularly joins others and exercises vigorously, in order to sharpen its skills and up its readiness, in any eventuality, towards registering the firm resolve of GAF to deal with any threats, including the increased activities of terrorists’ groups in the West Africa sub-region.
The exercise simulated how a battle group operating as part of a joint task force, employs its resources to block an imaginary enemy’s attack, with the support of the Ghana Nay and Air Force.
Colonel (Col) William Kwabiah – Chief Instructor, Joint Studies, GAFCSC, speaking to the press, said the first aim of the exercise was to demonstrate joint operations in the battle space in contemporary times, to understand available battle assets, and be in a better position to employ them properly and effectively.
Col Kwabiah said Senior Division Course 45 has ninety-eight (98) students drawn from the GAF, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cote d’Ivoire, Eritrea, the Gambia, Guinea, Liberia and Malawi, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Tanzania, Togo, Zambia, demonstrating an array of military Officers from the continent that are being taken through the regiment, to better understand the security situation, regionally.
He urged Africa to come to terms that the way to go is cooperation, which facilitates better understanding, and expresses the resolve to deal with contemporary challenges in the sub-region and beyond, and that one country in crisis, can call on others and receive support.
Dignitaries present included the MP, Builsa North – Mr James Agalga; MP, Buem – Mr Kofi Iddie Adams; the Chief of the Defence Staff – Vice Admiral Seth Amoama; Chief of the Army Staff – Maj Gen Thomas Oppong-Peprah; Chief of the Naval Staff – Rear Admiral Issah Adam Yakubu; Chief of the Air Staff – Air Vice Marshal Frederick Kwasi Asare Bekoe;
Others included the Commandant, GAFCSC – Maj Gen Bismarck Kwasi Onwona; GOC, Northern Command – Brigadier General (Brig Gen) Matthew Kweku Essien; Incoming GOC, S/COMD – Brig Gen Samuel Asare, Outgoing and Incoming Commanding Officers of 5Bn – Col Prince Eric Tandoh and Lieutenant Colonel Kwame Owusu-Afriyie, amongst many.
By Kofi Ampeah-Woode
