Thread: Namibian Defence Force visits American military training facilities in Germany

Aitsa! Miskien a case of "let's go visit" if a visit is on offer? Ek wonder. Fact is dat die VSA nou baie aktief is in Africa om China se groeiende invloed te beperk. The wars of the future will be resource wars, en China has a firm footing in that respect throughout Africa at the moment. Ek dienk rather die VSA as China? Die comrades is mos in elke geval kapitalise in hulle harte, en niks is lekkerder as die military toys made in USA?

Originally Posted by der-die-das-namibia

Check out this announcement on the web pages of Africom, the United States Africa Command, which is engaging with military leaders from all African countries.

Wtf -- are the NDF officers now going to be trained by the US? Wonder what the (ex?)-commies in government and especially the still retired chief are going to say!

Does anybody have more details about this?

It is so obvious what is happening here. Even a child can grasp. NDF can never be compared to US Defence Dept. Only the hardware of the US Defense Dept outnumbered the NDF personal strength. Foolish to think about training together. NDF can not train Recce Service staff in Namibia, but send these trainees to South Africa for training, because they have not the facilities. The SANDF bought the Gripen fighter planes from Sweden, sad to say, all are command by white South Africans. Why? Because blacks South Africans are unable to fly these machines. How many black Namibian are helicopter pilots to day in Namibia?

“In the last six years, Washington has stepped up its sales and transfers of high-technology weapons, military training, and other military assistance to governments regardless of their respect for human rights, democratic principles, or nonproliferation,” according to a report in the current(Jan.-Feb.) “Arms Control Today,” published online by the Arms Control Association (ACA).

“All that matters is that they have pledged their assistance in the global war on terrorism.”

Despots once banned from getting U.S. weapons and training are being showered with both. “By providing military assistance with a disregard for human rights(HR) conditions, the U.S. is not only giving up the opportunity to use military assistance as leverage to improve (HR conditions), but is also rewarding abusive governments for their unconscionable actions,” Stohl writes.

Officially launched on May 31, 2003, the PSI was the broadest application of international power projection by the US in the post-Cold War era, entailing as it does nothing less than the ability to conduct naval surveillance, interdiction and eventually unbridled military action in all the world's oceans.


Following and supplementing Operation Enduring Freedom and its six areas of responsibility from South Asia to the Horn of Africa and the Indian Ocean to the Caribbean Sea, and the NATO prelude to and prototype of the Proliferation Security Initiative, so-called Operation Active Endeavor which has for over seven years now placed the entire Mediterranean Sea under its control, the PSI is a military operation unilaterally devised and implemented by Washington without prior consultation with the nations and peoples in the targeted areas.
And like Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Active Endeavor (in the second category that follows), its self-proclaimed mission is unlimited in geographical scope and in historical time.


The PSI was announced with the alleged objective to, according to the ever complacent New York Times, "interdict nuclear materials and contraband". A broad enough charter to include most any naval operation anywhere and for any actual purpose Washington wants to employ it.


One that, though, right off paralleled Washington's manipulative conflation of weapons of mass destruction with 'global terrorism,' as will be seen further on.

Back to the point, its quiet simple, NDF needs to get rid of the old Soviet outdated weapons. USA Govt are always willing to sell the Mil Surplus stock to poor, backwards 3rd world countries, that is no thread to them. USA will even offer the loans or grants or what they call these schemes to pay off.

Just wait, the new Defense budget will proof that I am not wrong. Perhaps, Namibia need some new Mil equipment, then we need to look for a war to use it. Those who were born in shacks and shanties, will still carry on with there normal shack and shantee live style.

As long as you are use to poor standards, you will not know what beter standards mean.

Let the fools live like fools, we are not the government that can bring change. Lets enjoy what we have and let the one's suffer bear there own pain. Life is a journey, enjoy the ride.

Who knows what the ultimate, secret aim is of AfriCom. All I know is that we should think twice and carefully about any military cooperation our nation enters into. If the aim is to train our officers to become better leaders in a democratic system, and train them to serve the public interest, and serve under a civilian administration then I support cooperation, albeit tentatively. If the aim is to arm our small armed forces to the teeth, and we spend a lot of money on outdate military equipment then I say NO. The fact is we have enough problems to deal with, and having a military that is armed to the teeth and that becomes a proxy for other people's interests is no good for our young nation's development trajectory: Witness the Congo debacle and adventure the Nujoma administration went into with very dubious national interest at stake. That cost us a huge amount of money that could have biult schools, clinics, that could have bought anti-retrovirals and funded scholarships, supported a micro-credit programme for small busiensses, etc.....

Here's the official version, for balance' sake:

On February 6, 2007, President Bush and Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced the creation of U.S. Africa Command. The decision was the culmination of a 10-year thought process within the Department of Defense (DoD) acknowledging the emerging strategic importance of Africa, and recognizing that peace and stability on the continent impacts not only Africans, but the interests of the U.S. and international community as well. Yet, the department’s regional command structure did not account for Africa in a comprehensive way, with three different U.S. military headquarters maintaining relationships with African countries. The creation of U.S. Africa Command enables DoD to better focus its resources to support and enhance existing U.S. initiatives that help African nations, the African Union, and the regional economic communities succeed. It also provides African nations and regional organizations an integrated DoD coordination point to help address security and related needs.


AFRICOM reflects a more integrated staff structure. A Different Kind of Command
The designers of U.S. Africa Command clearly understood the relationships between security, development, diplomacy and prosperity in Africa. As a result, U.S. Africa Command, or AFRICOM, reflects a much more integrated staff structure, one that includes significant management and staff representation by the Department of State, U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and other U.S. government agencies involved in Africa. The command also will seek to incorporate partner nations and humanitarian organizations, from Africa and elsewhere, to work alongside the U.S. staff on common approaches to shared interests.


AFRICOM Mission
United States Africa Command, in concert with other U.S. government agencies and international partners, conducts sustained security engagement through military-to-military programs, military-sponsored activities, and other military operations as directed to promote a stable and secure African environment in support of U.S. foreign policy. Mission statement approved by the Secretary of Defense May 2008.


Building Partner Capacity AFRICOM is a headquarters staff whose mission entails coordinating the kind of support that will enable African governments and existing regional organizations, such as the African Standby Force, to have greater capacity to provide security and respond in times of need.
The creation of U.S. Africa Command does not mean the U.S. military will take a leading role in African security matters, nor will it establish large U.S. troop bases. Rather, Africa Command is a headquarters staff whose mission entails coordinating the kind of support that will enable African governments and existing regional organizations, such as the African Standby Force, to have greater capacity to provide security and respond in times of need. Africa Command builds on the many African-U.S. security cooperation activities already underway, yet will be able to better coordinate DoD support with other U.S. government departments and agencies to make those activities even more effective.

U.S. officials are currently in consultation with African leaders on where and what kind of presence AFRICOM should have. AFRICOM Presence
U.S. Africa Command will be headquartered at Kelley Barracks in Stuttgart, Germany, for the foreseeable future. The command inherits a small but meaningful U.S. military presence already existing in numerous African nations, to include Camp Lemonier in Djibouti, as well as Defense Department personnel assigned to U.S. Embassies and diplomatic missions to coordinate Defense Department programs supporting U.S. diplomacy. Any additional presence on the continent will take place only in full diplomatic consultation and agreement with potential host nations.


The Way Ahead
Established in October 2007, the command’s focus during its first year was to build a unique organization dedicated to long-term partnerships. U.S. Africa Command will now focus on synchronizing hundreds of activities inherited from three regional commands that previously coordinated U.S. military relations in Africa.

http://www.africom.mil/AboutAFRICOM.asp

There is nothing wrong with getting training when it is offered, or must we turn it away?

Nothing is for free.

Which village are you from?

Ompundja why? Now you are going to be wise about my village? Insult me?

Luki, if you weren't such a Oshana country bumpkin, you would know that there is nothing wrong with getting advice when it is offered, so why turn it away?

Advice sure! Insult? No!! pangkas has a loose tongue with Namibia. Go see for yourself.

[quote=Lukas;40703]Advice sure! Insult? No!! quote]

hey Lukas, stop freeking out for nothing man. just keep yourself together man, nobody is going to hurt you, relax now, okay?

all i ask from you is to look around you in awareness, a little further then west ovambo, with the highest makalani's and the sweetest marulah fruits during raining season.

the picture is much bigger on the outside world and our lovely country Namibia, have so much to offer to outsiders, that in the process, 97% of the population (indigenous Namibians, pure Africans) live from the hand to the mouth, with no nested egg for thefuture.

this is the proper breeding ground for all that is evil.

a stronger military presence, if we have not enough guns on our streets already. guns were always dangerous pieces of fire arms. in most cases, those with guns abuse it.

take a look at this please

african armed militia - Google Video

and this too, it might show you the other side of the penny. did not happen long ago, still warm and fresh.

The tiny west African "narco-state" of Guinea Bissau was plunged into bloody turmoil today after João Bernardo Vieira, the democratically elected president, and the head of the army were killed in what seemed to be a clash between two rival groups of soldiers.

See Lukas, it was his own soldiers that killed him.

We have enough soldiers and enough guns for turmoil. Soldiers can both be for a good purpose or can be by promising forces, turned into trouble makers, militia and many other bad things, Lukas.

I hope I have not insult your feelings, but rather give you an eye opener.

Guinea-Bissau president João Bernardo Vieira 'killed in clash between rival soldiers' | World news | guardian.co.uk