ADF STAFF
Botswana has remained one of the most peaceful countries on the African continent for decades. But stability and prosperity should not lull nations into complacency about security at home or in their regions. The Botswana Defence Force (BDF) already has a contingent serving in the multinational Southern African Development Community Mission in Mozambique, where extremists have maintained a fierce armed insurgency in the north for years. Keeping forces ready for domestic and regional responses, as well as peacekeeping duties, is essential. To that end, the BDF took part in Joint Combined Exchange Training (JCET) with U.S. Special Operations Command Africa at Thebephatshwa Air Base in Botswana in August and September 2022. The JCET program helps promote security and stability. Engagements develop and maintain military-to-military connections and improve readiness and the ability to work together. The August-September engagement was the second JCET event between Batswana and U.S. forces in 2022. The first was in March. Training included scouting, advancing on potential enemy positions and analyzing entry points for such objectives.