ADF

Brig. John Kinyua Njeru has served as commander of Kenyan Special Operations Forces (KENSOF) Command since 2021. He began his career in 1990 and has served in a range of roles in the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF), including commander of Army Special Operations Brigade, commander of Ranger Regiment, commander of Special Forces and commanding officer of 30 Special Forces Battalion. He has served in peacekeeping missions in Darfur and Sierra Leone. He holds a master of arts degree from National Defence College, Tanzania, and has completed a range of training domestically and internationally, including the International Special Forces Course in…

When it comes to communicating on the battlefield, special operations forces often rely on high-frequency radio.  But the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) found that it had a problem with this vital tool. Over the years, Kenya has acquired devices from an array of manufacturers like Motorola, Hytera and Harris. These radios were effective, but they were not interoperable. They use different encryption, operate on different wavelengths and at different frequencies.  Fortunately, the KDF has its own solutions laboratory. The Communication and Information System Maintenance and Innovation Centre (CISMIC), created in 2021, develops and repairs electronic equipment and software for the…

Ghana has been a beacon of peace and stability along the West African coast for years, but its security landscape has evolved to encompass a diverse range of threats. Expanding Sahel-based terrorist groups intent on reaching the coast threaten the nation’s north. On the eastern border with Togo, a secessionist movement has stirred anti-government sentiment. At sea, piracy poses an aggressive and unconventional maritime threat that calls for a specialized response. The Ghana Navy’s Special Boat Squadron is addressing all of these threats and more. As the specter of piracy loomed in the Gulf of Guinea from about 2009 to…

Soldiers with the Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces (RSLAF) took part in four weeks of Joint Combined Exchange Training with the United States Army’s 91st Civil Affairs Battalion in September 2025. U.S. forces and members of the RSLAF’s Forces Reconnaissance Unit and State Protection Service covered civil affairs operations, including reconnaissance and engagement, governance, area studies, mission planning and reporting, professional development, and force management in Freetown. Training also included tactical combat casualty care, during which all participants earned “Stop the Bleed” certification from the American College of Surgeons. A three-day field exercise tested participants in a dynamic environment.…

As technology plays a larger and larger role in special operations forces (SOF) missions, leaders still believe that it is humans, not hardware, that make the difference.  Highly trained operators use their courage, ethics and adaptability to make split-second decisions on the battlefield. Amid upheaval brought on by tools like artificial intelligence (AI), African security professionals stress the importance of keeping “human capital” at the center of SOF planning.  “The determining factor in SOF is the personnel, the human being,” said Maj. Gen. Mohamed Ali Barise of the Somali National Army during the 2025 Silent Warrior conference in Nairobi. “The…

The Angolan Air Force has taken delivery of three C295 maritime surveillance aircraft from Airbus to be used for search and rescue, maritime traffic control, and other duties. Angolan officials say the planes also will be equipped and used to gather intelligence and monitor illegal fishing. The Air Force ordered the three planes in 2018 at a cost of $188 million, according to defenceWeb. One reportedly was built in a transport configuration, and the other two were configured for maritime surveillance. The surveillance aircraft have tactical avionic systems that include search radar, electro-optical sensors and anomaly detectors. Weapons can include…

An Egyptian subsidiary has begun production of 10 high-tech patrol vessels for the Egyptian Navy to be used for surveillance and defense. NVL Egypt, a subsidiary of German company Naval Vessels Lürssen, is building 10 PV43-M patrol vessels for the Navy. NVL Egypt was founded in 2022. The company said production began in late 2025, after it was selected as the main contractor two years earlier.  The PV43 is a 43-meter-long offshore patrol vessel designed for maritime surveillance, emergency response and asset protection. It can be configured with large guns and anti-ship missiles, according to defenceWeb. “This program represents a…

Nigeria is working to acquire 24 M-346FA fighter jets and 10 AW-109 helicopters from Italy, a landmark deal that signals a major upgrade of its airpower. The $1.4 billion deal with defense company Leonardo includes training, spare parts and support services to maintain the fleet. At the beginning of 2026, six of the M-346FAs were in advanced stages of production, with three still under flight tests, Business Insider Africa reported. Italian sources said that once completed, Nigeria’s deal will be the largest military procurement investment by a West African nation, The Defense Post website reported.  Nigeria decided to adopt Italian…

The United States has announced a new initiative to work with African countries to strengthen space capabilities, improve access to technology and promote development.  The first U.S.-Africa Technical and Regulatory Space Training Meeting took place in December 2025. Several additional meetings took place in the run-up to the NewSpace Africa Conference in April 2026 in Libreville, Gabon.  Ambassador Jonathan Pratt, then with the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of African Affairs, said the program aims to support African nations in creating and funding independent domestic programs that connect with other space programs around the world. It will help nations navigate the…

The South African Border Management Authority (BMA) has partnered with high-tech defense companies to boost security at two of the country’s busiest border crossings.  The companies deployed an integrated suite of surveillance, mobility and protective technologies at the Beitbridge, Zimbabwe, and Lebombo, Mozambique, border crossings during the holiday travel season that began in December 2025. The public-private partnership was a pilot project to demonstrate what is possible when the government works with the defense and technology sectors. “This collaboration represents a growing model of South African-global technology partnership,” the companies said, as reported by defenceWeb. “These capabilities will strengthen real-time…