Ghana Armed Forces to be provided with modern military equipment

Story: Mary Mensah
THE Ministry of Defence has embarked on an exercise to provide the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) with modern military equipment.
This is to enable the GAF to meet the challenges of the 21st century in dealing with territorial threats and assisting in providing internal security and developmental issues.
Taking his turn at the meet-the-press series in Accra yesterday, the Minister of Defence, Lt General J. H. Smith, said as part of the exercise, a new department had been established at the ministry to deal with research and defence co-operation.
He said in order to enhance the operational capabilities of the GAF, some equipment were recently procured, while a Paratech facility had been built for the Airborne Force (ABF).
He said the Ghana Navy had also taken delivery of one 35-metre boat and a number of 46-metre naval boats, while 58-metre vessels acquired by the government from Germany had just arrived.
According to him, in line with the government’s strategic decision to re-equip and revamp the GAF, the Ghana Air Force had also taken delivery of some Diamond DA42 surveillance aircraft and a CASA 295 transport aircraft, while the construction of a number of hangers at the Air Force Base in Accra was ongoing.
He said there were plans to establish military units, helipads and bases in various areas across the country to improve the GAF’s capability to deal with operational exigencies, especially on the oil fields.
Lt Gen Smith said a seven-member Petroleum Security Co-ordinating Committee (PSCC) had also been established, with the sole objective of providing a safe and congenial operational environment for the oil and gas industry.
He said the committee had been tasked to ensure a safe and secure land, sea and air environment within which oil and gas exploration, extraction, production and marketing companies could operate freely within the confines of international laws and protocols.
 He said the functions of the committee were to co-ordinate all security activities, establish communications network and maintain database on equipment and personnel in the industry.
To help ensure national security and faster response to emergencies, he said, the ministry was committed to establishing permanent garrisons and air strips in each region and cited how the establishment of a garrison in Bawku had contributed to the current peace in the Bawku area.
He announced that Parliament had also passed the Veterans Administration, Ghana Act, Act 844, 2012 to enable the state to tap into the expertise of veterans.
He said the object and functions of the law were to keep alive military esprit de corps, both locally and internationally, and also ensure their welfare, stressing that “this welfare package covers their dependants, widows and the dependants of deceased military veterans”.
Touching on the establishment of Special Forces in the GAF, Lt Gen Smith explained that it was nothing new but part of the restructuring exercise to enable the GAF to improve upon operational exigencies.
“ It is important to note that special forces are not a new phenomenon in the GAF. For instance, the Airborne Force in Tamale was established in 1961 as a special force unit that trains soldiers to be moved by aircraft and ‘dropped’ into an operational theatre. Besides, many of our officers and men/women, for several years now, have been trained as Rangers, Commandos, Freefall Parachutists, divers and many more in countries such as the USA, the UK, India, Pakistan and China, just to name  a few,” he asserted.
Lt Gen Smith said the special forces concept was to train military personnel with uncommon distinctive abilities within the GAF to respond to unexpected scenarios such as attacks on our oil and gas installations, kidnapping and hostage taking by terrorists, militant groups and anti-national forces, as well as more delicate and non-conventional missions in support of the state, adding that there were special forces in both advanced and most developing countries, including some of our neighbours.
He said the need for the GAF to have special forces units was indisputable, particularly now that Ghana’s economy was on the rise and listed among the most preferred destinations for investment.
“The military is committed to ensuring that the special forces concept is fully realised because of the unfortunate notoriety of the West African sub-region as a hub for arms smuggling, drug trafficking, militancy and terrorism,” he stated.