|
Ghana Training
Military training for all officer candidates of the army, air
force, and navy is conducted at the Ghana Military Academy near
Accra. Entrance to the academy is by examination, and the
curriculum includes military and general subjects. Duration of the
course for army cadets is two years. At the end of the first six
months, a few candidates may be selected to finish their studies at
foreign institutions such as the Royal Military Academy at
Sandhurst in Britain. The Ghana Military Academy, established in
1960, also provides short courses in higher military education for
the officers of the three services. The best senior officers are
selected periodically to attend the Army Staff College at Camberley
in Britain or one of several other senior service schools in
foreign countries.
The Armed Forces Training School at Kumasi trains army, air
force, and navy recruits. The basic army training course lasts nine
months and is followed by advanced individual training in the
assigned unit. This school also provides specialist training. A
parachute training school is located at Tamale and a jungle warfare
school at Achiasi.
The army has conducted numerous field exercises with a variety
of code names, including Hot Foot, Deep Thrust, Operation Swift
Sword, Full Impact, and Starlight Stretch. These exercises test an
array of skills. Full Impact 88, for example, marked the first time
that Ghanaian army, air force, and navy units trained together.
Deep Thrust 89 emphasized jungle warfare, junior leadership, and
physical fitness. Starlight Stretch 89, which was held at Daboya in
the northern region, improved low-level operations for company
groups in the infantry battalion.
To enhance regional collective security, the Ghanaian army also
has participated in joint exercises with Burkina Faso (Burkina,
formerly Upper Volta). In November 1983 and in early 1985, the two
countries sponsored joint exercises code-named "Bold Union" and
"Teamwork 85." The latter involved 5,500 troops and ninety officers
from the two armed forces. These personnel engaged in maneuvers in
which government soldiers defended themselves against a battalionstrong enemy force which had installed itself on Dwarf Island near
the strategically critical Akosombo Dam.
The Ghanaian government subsequently pledged to help defend its
neighbor in case of armed aggression. As a result of this
agreement, Ghana and Burkina have continued joint exercises. In
late 1986, a 3,000-member contingent of soldiers from Ghana and
Burkina participated in a week-long exercise to test the combat
readiness of their armed forces and security agencies. Then, in
September 1987, the two countries staged a three-day exercise codenamed Operation Vulcan in northern Ghana's Tamale region. During
this exercise, paratroopers of the two countries parachuted into
"friendly" territory to give support to ground forces under
simulated enemy fire. Later that year, Ghana and Burkina concluded
a three-month exercise in which four British trainers participated.
Historically, the Ghanaian Air Force has relied on foreign
military assistance from India, Israel, Canada, Britain, and Italy
for pilot training. In early 1959, Indian and Israeli officers
supervised the formation of Ghana's air force. In mid-1959, an
Indian air force senior air commodore established a headquarters
for the service at Accra. In July 1959, Israeli air force
instructors trained the first group of Ghanaian cadet fliers at
Accra International Airport. Two years later, ten Ghanaians
qualified as pilots.
In late 1960, Ghana terminated the training agreement with
Israel. Shortly thereafter, Accra and London signed an accord
whereby 150 officers and airmen from the British Royal Air Force
(RAF) assumed responsibility for training the Ghanaian Air Force.
The commander of this RAF contingent also replaced the Indian air
commodore as chief of staff of the Ghanaian Air Force. In mid-1961
a small group from the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) supplemented
the British mission. In September 1961, as part of his
Africanization program, Nkrumah appointed an army brigadier as
chief of staff and relieved all RAF officers of their commands. The
RAF contingent remained in Ghana, however, to help develop the
Ghanaian Air Force as part of the British Joint Services Training
Mission.
In more recent years, Ghana has relied on Nigeria for air force
training. In late 1989, twenty-five Ghanaian pilots and technicians
graduated from various training programs in Kano, Nigeria. On
December 6, 1989, PNDC member Lieutenant General Arnold Quainoo
announced that Nigeria had donated twelve Czech-built L-29 Delfin
trainers to the Ghanaian Air Force. The Ghanaian and Nigerian air
forces also conducted joint operations under the auspices of the
ECOMOG peacekeeping force in Liberia.
Naval training has concentrated on improving the skills of
personnel both on shore and at sea. In addition, the Ghanaian navy
regularly participates in joint air-and-sea search-and-rescue
operations. The United States navy has supplemented these efforts
by allowing United States ships participating in the West African
Training Cruise to visit Ghana. During the 1990 training cruise,
the United States donated an array of educational materials and
conducted a symposium on fisheries enforcement. Inclement weather
forced the cancellation of a joint amphibious exercise, however.
The paramilitary People's Militia usually receives its training
during evenings, weekends, and short periods of attachment to
regular army units. The Presidential Guard, which evolved from the
President's Own Guard Regiment established by Nkrumah, enjoys a
higher training priority and commands a greater proportion of the
military's resources.
Data as of November 1994
|
