East African Community launches joint military training

Defence Cabinet Secretary Defence Raychelle Omamo on Friday launched joint field training for over 2,000 military officers from East African Community (EAC) member states in Kwale County.

The one-week exercise aims at training the officers in planning and conducting peace support operations, disaster management, counter-terrorism and counter-piracy.

Speaking during the launch of the exercise, called "Ushirikiano Imara 2016" at the Matuga School of Government on Friday, Ms Omamo said the region shares the same history and culture and also has the same aspirations for peace, security and prosperity.

She noted that the excellent cooperation between EAC defence forces is a key driver of regional integration.

“This training exercise is aimed at enhancing the participant’s capacity in collectively addressing the emerging complex security challenges confronting our region,” she said.

The minister said the distinct goals of the exercise are to improve inter-operability between EAC military forces and other key stakeholders and enhance their readiness in response to complex challenges, to strengthen cooperation and to practice commanders and staff of the employment of combined joint forces.

REGIONAL APPROACH

“Learning has no limit. Indeed trainings such as the present one are to continuously improve the performances of our defence forces.

"By the end of this exercise we expect participants to be endowed with new competencies and capabilities in the furtherance of peace and security in the region,” she said.

Vice-Chief of Defence Forces Lt-Gen Joseph Kasaon said that with increasing terror threats, the training is crucial.

Mr Kasaon singled out Somalia-based terrorist group Al-Shabaab as the major threat in East Africa, saying it can be dealt with through a concerted regional approach.

“I am so glad that the exercise has captured the area of terrorism, piracy and disaster management so that we can continue to strengthen our ability to intervene as a region,” he said.

Peter Kiguta, the director-general of customs and trade at the East Africa Community, said participants are trained on the EAC protocol on operations in defence affairs.

He added that the exercise is in line with a series of similar operations conducted in different EAC member states, with the last edition having taken place in Burundi in 2014.

“I would like to wish the participants a very successful exercise and also ask them to take the training very seriously considering the challenges we are facing,” he said.