ADF

In Multinational Missions, Preparation and Discipline Are Key COL. EMMANUEL KOTIA, PH.D., CHIEF INSTRUCTOR AT THE KOFI ANNAN INTERNATIONAL PEACEKEEPING TRAINING CENTRE, ACCRA, GHANA Military professionalism has three main characteristics: responsibility, corporate unity and expertise, according to Samuel Huntington in his book, The Soldier and the State. These should be at the core of all military functions. Their importance in peacekeeping dates back to 1948 when the military played a central role in the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization in the Middle East, the first modern peacekeeping mission. Today, the U.N. leads 16 peacekeeping operations worldwide. All depend on the efforts…

One of Africa’s youngest militaries, the Botswana Defence Force, was formed with professionalism at its core Lt. Gen. Tebogo Masire was commander of the Botswana Defence Force (BDF) until his retirement in 2012. During his 35-year military career, he served in a number of command positions, including air arm commander from 1989 to 2006. A pilot with more than 4,000 flying hours, Masire flew all four presidents of Botswana to destinations in 30 countries. At the time of his retirement, he was the last member of Botswana’s first batch of military recruits to still be in active service. He spoke…

Flintlock 2015 helps the Lake Chad region unite to fight Boko Haram For nearly a decade, special operations Soldiers have gathered in the Sahel for Flintlock, the annual exercise designed to build partnerships and share tactics needed to rid the region of extremists and traffickers. Flintlock 2015 was different. It involved a real and nearby threat: the extremist group Boko Haram. In fact, the Flintlock closing ceremony near N’Djamena, Chad, on March 9, 2015, was conducted as ground and air forces from Niger and Chad launched an offensive in northeastern Nigeria to dislodge the terror group from its stronghold. Since…

The director of Flintlock 2015 talks about leading a military exercise with multiple armies and modern technology. Chadian Brig. Gen. Zakaria Ngobongue served as the director for Exercise Flintlock 2015, with Chad as the host country. He is commander of his country’s Joint Military Group of Schools. Although he has participated in several multinational military exercises, this was his first Flintlock. Africa Defense Forum interviewed the general twice at a camp near N’Djamena in the final days of the exercise in March 2015. The general spoke in French, with an English translator. These are excerpts of those interviews: Q: It’s…

The historic city of Agadez, Niger, sits along the southern fringe of the Sahara, where nearly everything seems to take on the tan hue of the ubiquitous, powdery sand. The city, known as the gateway to the desert, began developing in the 15th and 16th centuries with the establishment of the sultanate of Aïr. The center of the city served as a crossroads for caravan traders and is divided into 11 irregular sections. Each section contains mud buildings and religious structures, including a 27-meter-tall minaret, the highest mud brick structure of its kind in the world. Historic trading hubs such…

The African Conference of Commandants encourages militaries to learn from each other Dramatic changes in society used to be single events. The end of World War II. The collapse of the Soviet Union. The global financial crisis. Writer Joshua Cooper Ramo summed up the events of the 21st century as “an avalanche of ceaseless change.” As is almost always the case, the military is called on to help manage the changes. Now, more than ever, a well-trained military is essential. That’s where African nation staff colleges, also known as war colleges, come in. They train army officers in the science of…

Morocco has dismantled a seven-member terrorist cell linked to ISIS that was planning to abduct and murder tourists, the Interior Ministry said. The suspects, whose identities were not revealed, had pledged allegiance to ISIS, the ministry said in a statement carried by the MAP news agency. They were planning to “abduct and physically liquidate” tourists at seaside resorts, the statement added. The suspects had undertaken “intensive paramilitary training” in a mountainous region of Morocco, according to the Interior Ministry. The June 11, 2015, arrests were made by the Central Bureau of Judicial Investigations, inaugurated in March as part of the…

French automotive giant PSA Peugeot Citroen announced it will build a $632 million car factory in Morocco with an annual production capacity of 90,000 units. The plant, due to open in 2019 north of Rabat, will address “the needs of the region and of Moroccan customers,” a company statement said. Chairman Carlos Tavares signed an official agreement with Moroccan Industry Minister Moulay Hafid Elalamy in the presence of King Mohammed VI at his palace in the capital. The group said the plant will assemble engines and vehicles in the compact and midsize segment, the mainstay of Morocco’s car industry. “With…

Information and Communications Technology Helps Dispel Rumors in Kenya’s Volatile Tana Delta Kenya’s Tana River winds 1,000 kilometers out of the Aberdare Mountains. It twists and turns before making its way through the towns of Garissa, Hola and Garsen on its way to the Indian Ocean. It’s the nation’s longest river, and around it thrives a delta teeming with palm savannas, grasslands, forests and lakes. The delta, rich with rice paddies and sugar crops, also is known for violence rooted in long-standing conflicts between two ethnic groups, the Pokomo and the Orma. The Pokomo people are mostly farmers who make their…

Rethinking Civil-Military Dialogue in Nigeria Nigeria’s long national crisis relating to Boko Haram has been devastating for many reasons. It cost thousands of innocent lives, caused 1.4 million people to flee their homes, and harmed the nation’s image around the world. It also has increased mistrust between civilians and the Armed Forces. Public confidence in the Nigerian military dropped from 78 percent to 57 percent between 2011 and 2014, according to a Gallup poll of Nigerians. Confidence in the police dropped from 49 percent to 33 percent. Rebuilding this trust will be a long process and may require extensive security…