Female soldiers release wild photos as they complete training at Achiase

The typical Ghanaian female is not known to be that daring and courageous.

But there always the few ones who go beyond the usual and show the courage that even some men lack.

Female soldiers could be said to be part of this few and we are beginning to believe that.

In photos Ghanaarmedforces.gvt@gmail.com stumbled upon on the internet some female soldiers have been seen holding a big snake believed to be a python.

They came across the snake during training at the Jungle Warfare camp at Achiase in the Eastern Region.

The snake is that big and will many a man quiver. So for women to hold it and be smiling, it is quite courageous and admirable.

Ghanaian General appointed to Head UNDOF peace keeping force

A former NADMO boss has been appointed to lead a UN peacekeeping force

- The appointment was made by Secretary General

- He will be taking over from the forces previous commander, from India

Major General Francis Vib-Sanziri, a former NADMO (National Disaster Management Organization) National Coordinator, has been appointed to lead the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force.

According to a UN report published on Friday, October 13th, Major General Francis Vib-Sanziri has been tasked with the responsibility to Head the UNDOF.

Major General Vib-Sanziri will be taking over from the force's previous commander, Major General Jai Shanker Menon from India, who's assignment was done on September 20th.

Major General Vib-Sanziri, a graduate of the Nigeria Armed Forces Command and General Staff College, Ghana Armed Forces Command and Staff College, and the United States General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas 

Having enjoyed a 32 year long career since he joined the Ghana Armed Forces in 1985, Major General Francis Vib-Sanziri's also gathered extensive peacekeeping experience, with deployments to Lebanon in '88, Rwanda in '93, Sierra Leon in '99, and Liberia in '07.

The appointment, made United Nations Secretary General, Mr. Antonio Guterres, sees Major General Vib-Sanziri become the first Ghanaian national to occupy that position.

64 Infantry Regiment begins on-site Counter Terrorism Training Exercises

Modern trends in terrorism on the continent of Africa, and particularly the West African sub-region, have challenged the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) to commence training exercises in anticipation of potential threats to the peace, stability and development of the country.

Terrorist attacks in recent times have been indiscriminate and not spared nations remotely active on the global stage of activism of any kind, hence attacks on public buildings in Kenya, Ivory Coast, Burkina, Mali and Nigeria.

These events have prompted the military high command to scale up the phase of her anti-terrorism trainings to equip her Counter Terrorism Unit – 64 Infantry Regiment – to help prevent or minimise the impact of any such attack, should what seems like the inevitable occur in Ghana.

The Counter Terrorism Unit (CTU), under the leadership of Commanding Officer (CO) Lieutenant Colonel (Lt Col) FiifiDeegbe, has thus devised new ways to train monthly with what they call “ON-SITE TRAINING”, in which they pick and choose public buildings of some importance in patronage and under varied scenarios, apply ‘course-of-action’ mechanisms to rid the structure of any foe.

The first beneficiary of the scheme was the Accra Shopping Mall, which simulatedly was attacked by terrorists who were successful in entering the country but upon a tip-off, the military high command directed its relevant units to handle the situation, promptly.

Lt Col Fiifi Deegbe hinted that all the major buildings, including national parks in the country would benefit from the trainings to help appropriately tool the unit in knowledge and equipment to handle such situations, should the unwanted occur.

Speaking to the media after the dawn exercise (which started and ended between 0300 and 0700 of Sunday, February 25), the CO offered advice to the general public that, in the event of a terrorist attack, persons within or without the attacked building, who can safely make phone calls should firstly alert the Police, then those trapped in the building should all lie on their bellies or hide behind places solid enough to prevent one from being easily hit by a bullet.

The CO further urged the country not to panick but rather increase their confidence that the military is doing everything necessary to engender the right atmosphere for further development in peace.

Other supporting units that helped in this training exercise were the Armoured Reconnaissance Regiment (RECCE), Military Police and 37 Military Hospital with accompanying vehicles and trained dogs.

GAF HISTORY

The command structure for the army forces in Ghana originally stemmed from the British Army's West Africa Command. Lieutenant General Lashmer Whistler was the penultimate commander holding the command from 1951 to 1953. Lt Gen Sir Otway Herbert, who left the West Africa Command in 1955, was the last commander.[1] The command was dissolved on 1 July 1956.[2]

In 1957, the Ghana Army consisted of its headquarters, support services, three battalions of infantry and a reconnaissance squadron with armoured cars. Total strength was approximately 5,700 men.[3] Partially due to an over-supply of British officers after the end of the Second World War, only 12% of the officer corps in Ghana, 29 officers out a total of 209 in all, were black Ghanaians at independence.[4] Under Major General Alexander Paley, there were almost 200 British Ghanaian officers and 230 warrant officers and senior commissioned officers posted throughout the Ghanaian Army.

Ghanaian Prime Minister Kwame Nkrumahwished to rapidly expand and Africanise the army in order to support his Pan-African and anti-colonial ambitions. Thus in 1961, 4th and 5th Battalions were established, and in 1964 6th Battalion was established, from a parachute unit originally raised in 1963.[5]Second Infantry Brigade Group was established in 1961 to command the two battalions raised that year. However, 3rd Battalion was disbanded in February 1961 after an August 1960 mutiny while on Operation des Nations Unies au Congoservice at Tshikapa in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.[6] The changeover from British to Ghanaian officers meant a sudden lowering of experience levels, training and professionalism.
The Ghanaian commanding officer of 3rd Battalion, Lieutenant Colonel David Hansen, had on appointment as battalion commander only seven years of military experience, compared to the more normal twenty years' of experience for battalion commanders in Western armies. He was badly beaten by his troops during the mutiny.[7] 4th Battalion was raised under a British commanding officer, Lieutenant Colonel Douglas Cairns, from the single company of the 3rd Battalion that had not mutinied.Initial British planning by Paley before his departure in 1959 had provided for all British officers to be withdrawn by 1970; however, under pressure from Nkrumah, Paley's successor Major General Henry Alexanderrevised the plans, seeing all British personnel to depart by 1962. However, in September 1961, Alexander and all other British officers and men serving with the Ghanaian armed forces were abruptedly dismissed.[8] Nkrumah was determined to indigenize his armed forces fully, after some years of accelerated promotion of Ghanaian personnel.Simon Baynham says that “the wholesale shambles which surely must have resulted from simply expelling the expatriate contract and seconded officers was averted by the arrival of Canadian military technicians and training officers.”[9] Canadian training team personnel were assigned to the Military Academy (1961−1968), the Military Hospital, as Brigade Training Officers (1961−1968), to the air force, and later the Ministry of Defence (1963−1968), Ghana Army Headquarters (1963−1968) and the Airborne School.[10]Matters deteriorated further after the coup that deposed Nkrumah. Colonel James Bond, the Canadian military attache, asked to write a report on how Canada could further assist the Ghanaian armed forces, wrote that 'during 1966 the preoccupation of.. senior officers with their civilian duties as members of the National Liberation Council and as regional administrators, resulted in an unconscious neglect of the welfare of the Army.'[11]Available able intermediate level officers had been assigned civilian administrative duties, leaving the army short.
Ghana has contributed forces to numerous UN and ECOWAS operations, including in the Balkans, Afghanistan, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Lebanon, and Liberia (ECOMOGand UNMIL). Ghana contributed UN peacekeeping in UNAMIR during the Rwandan Genocide. In his book Shake Hands with the Devil, Canadian UNAMIR Force Commander Romeo Dallaire gave the Ghanaian soldiers high praise for their work during the conflict, in which the Ghanaian contingent lost 3 soldiers.
In accordance with an official statement issued on Wednesday, 22 March 2000 by the Secretary to the President, the commanders of the 1st Infantry Brigade Group in the south and the 2nd Infantry Brigade Group in the north were appointed General Officers Commanding the Southern and the Northern Commands of the Ghana Army.

Ghana Armed Forces Updates

For you to be eligible for recruitment into the Ghana armed forces, you have to ensure that you have met the minimum requirements set by the forces. Some of these requirements are filtering mechanism to separate the best candidates from the rest, thus guaranteeing the creation of a strong and effective force. Enshrined in the Ghana armed forces recruitment 2018 process, are some specifications that all candidates have to fulfill before making it to the final list of recruits. Listed below are the most crucial requirements that you need to satisfy for you to be recruited into the Ghana Armed Forces
READ ALSO: Ghana Armed forces recruitment 2017/2018
1. Be a Ghanaian by birth
2. Do not have a pending court case or bond
3. Have a good character
4. Meet medical standards of the Ghana Armed Forces
5. For those aiming at being regular officers, you do not have to be married
6. Must be more than 18 years of age and less than 25 years for Non-tradesmen while below 27 years for Tradesmen.
7. Male candidates should have a minimum height of 5’6” or 1.68m, while 5’2” or 1.57m for women. Those who want to get into military police have to be 1.75m or 5’9” for males, while 1.7m or 5’7” women.
8. All candidates have to satisfy the following academic qualifications;
• Must have six credits(over C6) from WASSCE, with core Mathematics, core English and core Science included.
• At GCE A-Level, the candidate has to surpass D in three subjects and get five credits in science, mathematics and English included, at the GCE-O Level.
• At SSCE, six credits(above D) with core English, core science and core mathematics in the mix.

GHANA ARMED FORCES NOTICE

The Ghana Army (GA) is the main ground warfare organizational military branch of the Ghanaian Armed Forces (GAF). In 1959, two years after the Gold Coast obtained independence as Ghana, the Gold Coast Regiment was withdrawn from the Royal West African Frontier Force, and formed the basis for the new Ghanaian army. Together with the Ghanaian air force (GHF) and Ghanaian navy(GN), the Ghanaian army (GA) makes up the Ghanaian Armed Forces (GAF), controlled by the Ghanaian Ministry of Defence (MoD) and Central Defence Headquarters, both located in Greater Accra.

To keep the peace, security and stability in a country, it is important for a country to have an effective and disciplined force. Ghana Armed Force is what keeps all the ill-willed individuals and external threats away from the borders of Ghana. This force is made up of able-bodied individuals who have sacrificed their lives to safeguard the borders of Ghana. However, to keep this force alive the GAF has to conduct annual recruitment of new soldiers from citizen volunteers with the urge to serve the country.

Like the Ghana armed forces recruitment 2017, there is always a definite process followed during the selection of most suitable candidates for the army. This process might not be apparent to most, thus the need to read the details below.

       

• 
  facebook