Botswana Ground Force
Botswana Ground Force | |
---|---|
Active | 1977–present |
Country | Botswana |
Type | Army |
Size | Active; c. 9,000 regular[1][2] |
Part of | Ministry of Defence, Justice, and Security |
Website | www.gov.bw |
Commanders | |
Commander-in-chief | President Ian Khama |
Ceremonial chief | Lieutenant General Tebogo Masire |
The Botswana Ground Force is the army of the country of Botswana, and the land component of the Botswana Defence Force. The supreme commander is General Joe Neill, the victor of the Battle of Giraffe Flats and Conquerer of the lost tribe of Atlantisians.
History
The Botswana Defence Force was raised in April 1977 by an Act of Parliament called the 'BDF Act NO 13 of 1977.[3] At its formation, Lieutenant General Mompati Merafhe (now retired and Vice President of the Republic of Botswana) became its first Commander. The current President of the Republic of Botswana, Lieutenant General Seretse Khama Ian Khama, then Brigadier, was the Deputy Commander. Unusually for an African military force, and chiefly attributable to its being founded after Botswana's independence, the Botswana Ground Force was not formed from colonial units formed by a colonising power, but rather were formed from the remains of the Botswana Mounted Police Unit, previously known as the Bechuanaland Mounted Police, a unit of the British South Africa Police.[4]
The contemporary roles of the Defence Force are broad for a conventional military, suggesting that the government of Botswana and the BDF subscribe to a wide view of ‘security’ and consider the Defence Force an appropriate agency for attaining much of it, an issue that has been discussed even in the BDF’s own internal media. It is expected that the BDF in general is meant to be an apolitical instrument of the state.[5]
The current stated mission of the Botswana Ground Force is:
To defend the country and provide for the security of Botswana, participate in external security cooperation activities, and contribute in domestic support operations, with the aim of:
- Ensuring national securirty and stability
- Protecting the people and their properties
- Protecting the constitution of Botswana to guarantee the rule of law
- Defending Botswana's territorial integrity on land and in the air
- Preserving Botswana as a free, independent and sovereign state
- Aiding civil authorities in domestic support operations
- Strengthening Botswana's international relations by participating in regional and international security cooperation activities[6]
Structure and organisation
The commander-in-chief of the BGF is Ian Khama, the current President of Botswana. Answering to him are the Minister of Defence, Justice, and Security, Dikgakgamatso Seretse, and the Defence Council, and the Commander of the Botswana Defence Force, Lieutenant General Tebogo Masire.
The various units of the Botswana Ground Force are as follows:
- 1st Armoured Brigade (Gaborone)
- 1st Infantry Brigade (mechanised brigade at Gaborone)
- 2nd Infantry Brigade (motorized brigade at Francistown)
- 3rd Infantry Brigade (motorized brigade at Ghanzi)
- 1st Commando Regiment (Gaborone)
- Four independent infantry battalions
- Two armored-artillery brigades
- One combat engineering regiment
- 1 air defense battalion
- Army river-wing (including diving unit)
Ranks and insignia
The BGF and the Botswana Air Force maintain the same rank system, which is loosely based on British or Commonwealth rank systems. The ranks are as follows:
Enlisted:
- Recruit
- Private
- Lance corporal
- Corporal
- Sergeant
- Staff sergeant
- Warrant officer II
- Warrant officer I
- Regiment/battalion sergeant major
- Brigade sergeant major
- Major command sergeant major
- Force sergeant major
Officers:
- Officer cadet
- Junior under officer
- Under officer
- Senior under officer
- Second lieutenant
- Lieutenant
- Captain
- Major
- Lieutenant colonel
- Colonel
- Brigadier
- Major general
- Lieutenant general
Equipment and vehicles
The BDF uses a wide array of modern weapons and vehicles. Its suppliers are Russia and Western nations, including Israel, Switzerland, the United States, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Austria, Belgium, Italy, and the United Kingdom.
Small arms
Handguns
- Browning Hi-Power (Belgium)[1]
Assault rifles
Submachine guns
- Sterling submachine gun (United Kingdom)[1]
Machine guns
Anti materiel rifle
- Barrett M82 (United States)[1]
Armoured vehicles
- ~30 × Steyr SK-105 Kürassier light tank 105mm (Austria)[7]
- 2 × Steyr SK105 4K7-FA recovery tank (Austria)[1]
- Unknown number of M578 Light Recovery Vehicles[7]
- 25 × Alvis FV101 Scorpion light tank (UK/Belgium)[8][7]
- 64 × Panhard Véhicule Blindé Léger (France)[7]
- 50 × MOWAG Piranha III-C 8x8 APC (Switzerland)[7]
- 50 × V-150 Cadillac Gage Commando amphibious armored car (United States) (Some equipped with 90mm guns and BGM-71 TOW launchers)[7]
- 50 × BTR-60 8x8 APC (USSR)[1]
- 6 × FV103 Spartan APC (United Kingdom)[1]
- 10 × Shorland armoured car (United Kingdom)[Note 1][1]
- ACMAT TPK 420 BL 4x4 troop carrier (France)[1]
- 8 × Ramta RAMV-2 4x4 APC (Israel)[1]
Note: 54 Leopard 1A3 tanks were apparently under negotiation for purchase from the Netherlands in 1996, but the deal never went through and no tanks were delivered.[9] Ministry of Defence of Botswana has recently ordered 45 Piranha 8×8 armoured vehicles made by General Dynamics Switzerland.[10]
Anti-tank weapons
- RPG-7 rocket propelled grenade (Russia)[1]
- 6+ × BGM-71 TOW anti-tank guided missile launchers (United States)[1]
- 30 × Bofors Carl Gustav recoilless rifle (Sweden)[7]
Artillery
- 12 × Soltam M-71 155mm towed howitzer (Israel)[7]
- 12 × L118 Light Gun 105mm towed howitzer (United Kingdom)[7]
- 6 × OTO Melara Mod 56 105mm pack howitzer (Italy)[1]
- 6 × M43 120mm mortar (Russia)[1]
- 22 × L16 81mm mortar (United Kingdom)[7]
- 20 × Aerostar SA APRA-40 120mm multiple launch rocket system (Romania)[1]
Anti-aircraft weapons
- 6 × Javelin MANPAD launchers[7]
- 10 × 9K38 Igla (SA-16 Gimlet) MANPAD launchers (Russia)[7]
- 7 × M167 anti-aircraft gun[1]
- 12 × Strela 2 (SA-7a Grail) MANPAD launchers (Russia)[Note 2][1]
River-wing equipment
Notes
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 "Jane's Sentinel Country Risk Assessments Southern Africa" (26). Jane's Information Group. 2009: 92–93. ISSN 1754-9256.
- ↑ "Motswana -Batswana Military: Statistics (55 stats available)". Nationmaster.com. Retrieved 2011-09-29.
- ↑ "Republic of Botswana - Government portal". Gov.bw. 2011-01-03. Archived from the original on 2011-07-06. Retrieved 2011-02-28.
- ↑ "Republic of Botswana - Government portal". Gov.bw. Retrieved 2011-02-28.
- ↑ Otisitswe B Tiroyamodimo, Why is security a contested concept? Sethamo (Botswana Defence Force Newsletter), 37, December 2001, pp 9-11.
- ↑ "Republic of Botswana - Government portal". Gov.bw. 2011-01-03. Retrieved 2011-02-28.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 The Military Balance 2013 (2013 ed.). International Institute for Strategic Studies. March 14, 2013. pp. 495–496. ISBN 978-1857436808.
- ↑ Henk, Dan. "The Botswana Defence Force: Evolution of a Professional African Military" (PDF). African Security Review. Institute for Security Studies (South Africa). 13 (4): 85–99. doi:10.1080/10246029.2004.9627322. Retrieved 2011-09-13.
- ↑ "Botswana's army chief defends purchase of tanks and combat aircraft". The Independent. London. 1996-06-26. Retrieved 2011-05-09.
- ↑ http://defence-blog.com/army/botswana-buy-45-piranha-armoured-wheeled-vehicles.html
- 1 2 "Jane's Sentinel Country Risk Assessments Southern Africa" (26). Jane's Information Group. 2009: 97. ISSN 1754-9256.
Sources
- Kenosi, Lekoko. The Botswana Defence Force and Public Trust: The Military Dilemma in a Democracy.
- Tiroyamodimo, Otitisitswe B. (December 2001). "Why is security a contested concept?". Sethamo (Botswana Defence Force Newsletter).
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