During Austria’s first official visit to Banjul, Gambia, the Secretary General of the Federal Ministry of Defense, Arnold Kammel, signed a technical agreement with the Gambian Minister of Defense, Sering Modou Njie, for joint training in the field of ammunition storage. This will continue the training program launched this year between the Austrian Armed Forces and the Gambian Armed Forces and will continue over the next few years.
Defense Minister Klaudia Tanner refers to the longstanding expertise of the Austrian Armed Forces: “Our soldiers have been deployed abroad for over 60 years. In view of security policy developments in West Africa and the Sahel region, which are also affecting Europe due to climate change and growing crime, Austria is assuming responsibility: our Armed Forces are contributing to international stability and peacekeeping. Training cooperations, for example in Gambia, provide local armed forces with the knowledge to ensure greater regional security themselves.” https://militaeraktuell.at/thales-portugal-entscheidet-forceshield/ “The Austrian Armed Forces have been training personnel and soldiers worldwide for decades and have outstanding expertise in the field of ammunition depot security in particular. We are supporting The Gambia to ensure greater security for the country and its population and can pass on our knowledge constructively. The signing of the Technical Arrangement is an important first step in continuing on this successful path,” said Secretary General Arnold Kammel at the signing ceremony.
Austria is training ten soldiers of the Gambian Armed Forces (GAF) in the field of ammunition storage – especially in the correct handling of ammunition – in order to increase security in The Gambia. The Austrian Armed Forces’ trainer and commander of the Mobile Adivsory and Training Team in The Gambia, Colonel Jürgen Marschnig, is currently responsible for this training mission. He explains: “In The Gambia, we have been training the armed forces in the field of ammunition storage since this year. In line with the ‘train-the-trainer’ principle, they are to learn how to handle ammunition correctly and pass on this knowledge. The problem with ammunition and storage here is that, on the one hand, the ammunition stores are too small or far too much is stored in a confined space or the ammunition is sometimes too old. Our training is intended to help the armed forces on the ground to ensure that no detonation occurs or can occur due to inadequate storage or ammunition that is too old.”
Austria’s first official visit to the African state of The Gambia
Prior to the signing ceremony, the Secretary General met with the Chief of Staff of the Gambia Armed Forces, General Mamat O. Cham, and visited the Gambia Navy, the National Guard and the ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States) base in The Gambia. The GAF Chief of Staff expressed his thanks in particular for the good cooperation in the training of ammunition storage and emphasized Austria’s good exchange and commitment with West Africa. “In addition to the current wars and crises in our immediate neighborhood, we must not lose sight of the African continent – from drug smuggling to trafficking in illegal goods or migration, West Africa and the Sahel zone in particular are a gateway for this. Every commitment to more peace and stability in Africa also helps Europe to ensure its stability and security,” continued Kammel. https://militaeraktuell.at/japan-entscheidet-sich-beechcraft-t-6c-texan-ii/
ECOWAS mission in The Gambia
The ECOWAS mission in The Gambia was officially launched in 2017. The aim is to ensure a future-proof and trustworthy policy, protect the civilian population and facilitate the peaceful transition of power and stability in West Africa. The Gambia in particular has always presented itself as a peace promoter within this mission in the past and has made a significant contribution in other West African states such as Sierre Leone or Liberia, thus demonstrating its commitment to peace and security in the region.
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