GHANA ARMY CHIEF ANNOUNCES RESURGENCE OF OLD EXERCISES

The Chief of the Army Staff (COAS), Ghana Army – Major General (Maj Gen) Lawrence Kwaku Gbetanu has announced the return of Exercises Starlight Stretch, Tiger’s Path, Fire Blast, Thunder Bolt, Drills, March and Shoot Competitions, full Basic Fitness Test (BFT) and Route Marches, to help further forge, maintain and motivate a cohesive force.

General Gbetanu detailed out the intentions of his tenure, when he visited the Army’s 1 Infantry Battalion (1Bn), Explosive Ordnance Disposal Regiment (EOD Regt), and Base Ammunition Depot (BAD), all based at Michel Camp, on Friday 13 June 2025, to round up his maiden familiarization tour of Units uder Southern Command.

Outlining his vision of maintaining and motivating Officers and Soldiers through appropriate training, adaptive technologies and platforms that will enable the Army project decisive land power, he stated that his vision is not far removed from that of his predecessors, and that there is no need for reinventing of wheels.

He also stated that the return of the aforementioned exercise – with a hybrid type of Exercise Starlight Stretch commencing by August 2025, in the Northern Frontiers of Ghana – will help keep Young Officers and Soldiers fit and healthy, correctly finding place in the military’s core values.

He went on to say that the exercises, and the route marches – which would be held together with other security services of the State – would enhance the force as a collective, improve esprit d’corps, and make a very formidable fighting unit.  

He added that unlike former times when raising sufficient teams from various Commands for such contests was challenging, due to the expansion drive undertaken by the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF), there now exists Commands and Formations like the Armoured, Artillery, Engineering, Signals, and others, who will join Southern, Central, Northern, Navy, Air Force and Supply Services Commands, to compete.

Overviewing Units so far visited under his acquaintance visits, the COAS said “so far so good”, and that the troops are in good spirits and ready to work, for which reason, he urged all Army personnel, to draw strength from the vision outlined, for all their operational activities.

He charged the troops to remain loyal to the Constitution of the Republic of Ghana alone, and not to any other organization or political party, and also urged soldiers to shun the phenomenon of providing protection and security to celebrities, and at funerals that are not military sanctioned.

The COAS, in his capacity as member of Ghana’s Military High Command (MHC), called on any military personnel engaged in recruitment fraud, to desist, emphasizing that the MHC has decided to dismiss outright, any personnel caught in such illegalities. 

He also added that the government of Ghana has made decisions of heavily investing in retooling GAF operationally, logistically and administratively, to place them in a position to fulfill their mandate of defending the territorial integrity of Ghana, by land, sea or air.

Maj Gen LK Gbetanu also announced that a committee has been set at the Army Headquarters, to work on the feasibility of restoring the former policy of Cost, Insurance and Freight (CIF) for troops who go on missions abroad, taking cognizance of what happened in the past that led to its revocation.

The COAS and his entourage were briefed by the Commanding Officers (COs) of 1Bn – Lieutenant Colonel (Lt Col) Frank Adams; EOD Regt – Col Francis Laapo; and BAD – Lt Col Issah Tahiru.

He later commissioned 1Bn’s refurbished Cook-House, and took time to observe Form 3 students of Michel Camp 1, 2, and Services Junior High Schools, who were writing their Basic Education Certificate Examination.

Present included the Deputy Chief Staff Officer (DCSO), Training and Operations – Brigadier General William Kwabiah; other DCSOs and Senior Officers from the Army Headquarters, Officers, the Regimental Sergeant Major, 1Bn – Senior Warrant Officer Class II Koomson Kingsley Ebow, Soldiers, and Defence Civilian Staff.

By Kofi Ampeah-Woode