ADF

ADF STAFF The Malawi Defence Force (MDF) added a new dimension to the education and training of noncommissioned officers (NCOs) after realizing that there was a gap in leadership development and professional military education between senior NCOs and commissioned officers. With help from the United States, the MDF established its Sergeant Major Academy in 2014 under the auspices of the Malawi Armed Forces College (MAFCO) in Salima, said Brig. Gen. Swithun Mchungula, commandant at the college. “The NCO academy was necessary because it prepares and improves the NCO leadership roles in joint operations, multinational operations as well as the ability…

U.S. Africa Command Staff Long deployments, physical strain and extreme risk. These are the hazards that military professionals know well. They shoulder these burdens gladly because, for them, the work is more than just a career. It’s a calling. When asked why they joined, Soldiers often cite ideals such as “service to country” and a “desire to protect others.” They also strive for an ideal of professionalism. Being a professional means a lifelong dedication to learning and the perfection of one’s craft. To support this development, countries are investing in professional military education institutions, particularly command and staff colleges designed…

It is important that our new graduates remain conscious of their responsibilities toward the people of the nation whose security you will be charged to protect. As you enjoy the euphoria that surrounds your achievements on this memorable occasion, do not forget that a responsibility has been thrust on your shoulders. Your commission into the Armed Forces is the beginning of your careers as professional officers and leaders. And you are expected to exhibit exemplary conduct. You must at all times discharge your duties professionally and diligently.  You are to safeguard and protect the territorial integrity of the nation and…

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE The Museum of Civilisations of Côte d’Ivoire is back and determined to recover its place as one of the richest museums of African art in the world — a place of “incomparable wealth,” as Senegal’s late poet-president Leopold Sedar Senghor said in a 1971 visit. Looted four decades later during a political and military showdown, the museum closed for a two-year refurbishment, reopening in July 2017 with redecorated rooms, modern lighting, and a new conference center, restaurant and garden. The first exhibition since the renovation is called Renaissance and spotlights a selection of 100 of the museum’s finest…

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE The sequel to Nelson Mandela’s celebrated autobiography, Long Walk to Freedom, was released in October 2017 after a South African writer completed an unfinished draft, Mandela’s foundation announced. Titled Dare not Linger, the book tells of Mandela’s five years as president after the end of apartheid and the first open elections in South Africa in 1994. Long Walk to Freedom, published shortly after the election, sold more than 14 million copies worldwide and was turned into a film starring Idris Elba. Mandela wrote 10 chapters of his follow-up memoir by hand on loose paper and in files between…

REUTERS In southern Tunisia’s Djebel Dahar region, people have lived for centuries in underground houses with earthen casing that provides protection against searing summer heat and winter winds. Rural depopulation has meant fewer people live in the homes, whose rooms are hewn into the walls of an excavated circular courtyard. The few remaining families say they are attached to the homes and the land or see no way of moving. “My father died, my mother died, the girls got married and I was left alone. They all went to lead their own lives,” said Latifa Ben Yahia, 38, who lives…

Sierra Leone’s Experience Offers Lessons on Building a Professional Armed Forces BY BRIG. GEN. MICHAEL MOHAMED SAMURA AND COL. STEVEN PARKER For African countries, improving the security outlook does not require better weapons or larger defense budgets. Instead, the precarious balance of national stability rests largely on the professionalism of security forces. The state of military professionalism is not something that can be changed overnight. It requires a willingness to secure constitutional order, adhere to civilian control and maintain political neutrality. Professionalism also means a commitment to careerlong education and a dedication to a set of values. The world over, some of the hallmarks of professional…

Nations Across the Continent Are Seeing the Benefits of Educated, Well-Trained Noncommissioned Officers ADF STAFF Photos by STAFF SGT. GRADY JONES/U.S. AFRICA COMMAND Militaries are generally composed of an officer corps at the top and a high number of enlisted Soldiers, Sailors or Airmen at the bottom. But between the two is a layer of personnel crucial to efficient and professional operations: noncommissioned officers, or NCOs. NCOs’ duties can differ from one national military to another, but in general they are charged with training and sustaining a mission-ready force and executing strategies that originate in the officer corps. In most…

A Cape Verdean Perspective on Africa Endeavor Capt. Domingos Tavares, Armed Forces of Cape Verde Digitalization has transformed life in Africa. Internet and mobile technologies are now with us wherever we go. We rely on this technology for everything from mobile banking to directing satellites used to monitor crops and track climate events. For the most part, this digital permeation has been positive. But the challenges to the continent also are becoming clear. Criminals are taking advantage of a deficit of cyber security laws, and traditional crime is taking on an international dimension by using the web. African countries lost…

The Values of the Next Generation of African Security Sector Leaders By Dr. Kwesi Aning and Dr. Joseph Siegle The role of African security sector professionals has changed greatly in recent decades. Leaders today face a dizzying array of challenges from armed militias, violent extremist organizations, terrorism, piracy, insurgency and instability caused by political crises, to name a few. These threats span domestic, regional and transnational theaters — sometimes simultaneously. Contemporary African security sector professionals, consequently, are required to be enormously versatile. Although considerable attention is given to Africa’s security challenges, relatively less reflection has been paid to the security sector…