‘Retool GAF to enable personnel counter emerging threats’

The Defence Minister, Mr Dominic Nitiwul, has called for the retooling of the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) to enable the personnel to counter emerging threats, both globally and in the sub-region.

He said it was very important for the GAF to be provided with equipment, vehicles, vessels and aircraft to enable them to meet the demand for security, in the wake of the government’s accelerated drive to develop the country.

He said the country needed enduring peace and stability to develop and so it was time it retooled the security agencies.

Speaking at the ministry’s turn at the meet-the-press series in Accra on Thursday, Mr Nitiwul said the dynamics in global threats and the ever-increasing role of non-state actors in conflict situations required dedicated officers and men to live up to expectation.

Preparedness

He noted that so far the troops had demonstrated resilience, mental stamina, robustness and the preparedness to deal with any of such threats.

He said currently the government was doing everything possible to improve the capacity of the GAF to enable them to continue to operate and excel in international peace support and other operations.

Recruitment

Mr Nitiwul said to that end, the GAF had begun a recruitment exercise to select 1,800 suitable personnel to serve in the three services.

Giving a breakdown of the figure, he said 1,200 would be recruited into the Army, 200 into the Navy and 400 into the Air Force.

Additionally, 100 prospective cadets would be selected to undergo four months’ military training in January 2018 for the Medical Service.

“Some may argue that the chances of Ghana going to war are remote and that Ghanaians are so peaceful and so it will be a waste of resources to spend on the GAF. The threat of terrorism is real, as at least we have seen terrorist attacks in some neighbouring countries,” he said.

He announced that the ministry had initiated two draft bills on the prolongation of service and the Major Maxwell Mahama Trust Fund which had become absolutely necessary.

The minister explained that the bill on the prolongation of service was expected to extend the period the other ranks served from the current 25 to 30 years and the objective was to enable the other ranks to decide when to leave the service.

Outlook for 2018

“In view of the emerging contemporary security threats within the sub-region, the ministry will acquire land at Peduase, Daboya in the Northern Region and Shai Hills in the Greater Accra Region to facilitate the enlistment of special forces units to counter emerging threats, particularly terrorism,” Mr Nitiwul said.

According to him, the Navy would prioritise the establishment of special boat units (SUBs) which would be developed into a world-class force capable of confronting various threats in the maritime domain.

He said the GAF would also re-establish the Flying Training School (FTS) in Tamale and said the relocation of the school was expected to contribute to the opening up of the Northern Region as a regional aviation training centre.

External operations

The Minister said the GAF continued to hold high the flag of Ghana in the international arena, as it ranked fourth as the largest troop contributing country in United Nations peacekeeping operations.

He said currently there were 2,174 armed troops in four major missions and about 137 other personnel deployed as experts in staff appointments and military observer missions.

Mr Nitiwul announced that the Ghana Navy had made tremendous progress towards achieving total surveillance of the country’s maritime domain.

He said electronic surveillance in the maritime operations centres (MOCs) along the coastline had also been enhanced with the installation of sea vision and vessel traffic management information systems.