A new course on multidomain operations (MDO) at Ghana Armed Forces Command and Staff College is preparing Soldiers for the next generation of warfare.
During a commencement ceremony for the first class, staff college Commandant Maj. Gen. Matthew Kweku Essien said there has been a paradigm shift in how wars are fought, and it is vital for the GAF to keep pace with new technology and strategies.
He said war no longer can be viewed as taking place only on the three traditional domains of land, air and sea.
“In an era where the boundaries between land, sub-surface, sea, air, space, electromagnetic spectrum and cyberspace are increasingly blurred and overlapping, it is imperative for African armed forces to evolve, adapt and excel in operating across these multiple domains seamlessly and effectively,” Essien told students.
Essien said the future of war will demand agility, innovation and integration across all domains, and he urged participants to be flexible in the face of evolving threats
and challenges.
The first MDO course ended in June 2024 and graduated 98 students from 17 African countries. Students in the course were from Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Malawi, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Tanzania, Togo and Zambia.
The course dealt with new technologies such as artificial intelligence, robotics, cyberattacks and hypersonic weapons. It also taught attendees about operational designs, psychological challenges faced by commanders, informational warfare, and command and control structures of multidomain operations.
Essien commended the course for helping armed forces “develop not only the right acumen and posture, but also the penchant for enhancing the operational effectiveness of the Armed Forces through research and development.”