Fruitful collaboration between Forces of Ghana, US (PAGE 55) FEBRUARY 18, 2008

Story: Michael Donkor
THE United States of America’s Armed Forces has enjoyed good relations with the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) since Ghana’s independence.
The relations, although strained at one point or the other, have generally been cordial over the years and the three arms of the Ghana Armed Forces: The navy, the army and the airforce, have benefited tremendously from the US Army in terms of training and capacity building.
Ghana-US defence relations since independence essentially has been an appendage of the overall relationship between the two countries. Immediately, after independence, the CPP government’s socialist leaning naturally meant that there was going to be very little room for an excellent defence relationship between the two countries.
Naturally, the CPP government of Nkrumah felt it had enough reasons to critically examine its relations with the US. Such suspicion was expressed quite generously when Nkrumah, reportedly, refused any assistance from the US to establish a medical school on the suspicion that the team of academics coming from the US included CIA spies.
This was further evident in his dealings with the Soviet Union for Military Support for his government and in his quest to bring peace to some neighbouring countries such as Congo, Kinshasa.
During the Congo crisis, Dr Kwame Nkrumah did not wait for the intervention of the United Nations Peacekeeping Troops but went for an aircraft from the Soviet Union to convey military personnel to that country well ahead of the UN Peacekeeping Troops.
Subsequent governments including military regimes maintained healthy defence relations with US governments although there were no joint military training exercises between the two countries. The policy that was pursued around that period was military exchange programmes, which witnessed some of Ghana’s fine Generals benefiting from training in the US.
Collaboration between the US Army and the Ghana Armed Forces was strengthened during the regime of General Afrifa. The US assisted the Ghana Armed Forces with logistics and equipment including warships, known as GNS Azone and GNS Bonsu.
However, the progress made was not consolidated as subsequent governments appeared not so keen on strengthening the defence relationship with the US, perhaps, because they found other issues more pressing.
In the 1980s, the US government, in its effort to help Africans find a lasting solution to their internal conflicts, introduced the African Crisis Response Initiative, which the GAF embraced. It started in the 1990s and that helped build the capacity of the GAF to be able to confront internal conflicts.
The GAF had some collaboration with the American Armed Forces in that regard, and that relationship later developed into a Joint Combined Exercise and Training programme, which involved a number of US soldiers with their equipment, engaging the GAF in training exercises in Ghana.
Subsequently, there was the development of what is now known as the Africa Contingency Operations Training Assistance (ACOTA) programme created by President George Bush to replace the African Crisis Response Initiative to provide training in peacekeeping operations and regular military tactics in Africa to military units from selected countries.
The most significant difference between the two programmes is that ACOTA includes training for offensive military operations including light infantry tactics and small unit tactics to enhance the ability of African troops to conduct peacekeeping operations in hostile environments.
Under ACOTA, Ghanaian troops were also provided with offensive military weaponry including rifles, machine guns and mortars.
Ghana was one of the first militaries to receive ACOTA training in early 2003. Additionally, there is an active bilateral international military education and training programme between the two countries.
Ghana is the site of a US-European Command funded Exercise Reception Facility that was established to facilitate troop deployment for exercises or crisis response within the region.
The American government has also offered opportunities for Ghanaian military personnel to study in their country.
International Military Education and Training (IMET) Courses constitute the bulk of overseas courses undertaken by the GAF and the volume of assistance in 2004 was $921,000
In addition to the IMET, the US also offers training in counter-terrorism to Ghanaian officers.
The American Army in terms of infrastructural development of the Ghana Armed Forces have chalked up considerable successes. Ghana’s Jungle Warfare School at Achiase in the Eastern Region is arguably the best in terms of infrastructure and training logistics in the West African sub-region by the courtesy of the United States Army.
The US Army has built modern structures to house senior officers and other resource persons who go to Achiase for jungle training. At the Army Recruit Training Centre at Shai Hills, they have also built structures to upgrade it to the status of a modern Military School.
The US Army has also built school blocks for pupils in Achiase and constructed a clinic near the Tema Naval Base to serve the people in that community.
The US Army since 1990 has donated vehicles and other military accoutrements to the Ghana Armed Forces to boost its combat readiness.
It has also provided humanitarian assistance to the Ghana Armed Forces such as the provision of a water tank and treatment facility for the 37 Military Hospital, renovation of Medical Reception Stations (MRS) in Tamale, renovation of dining hall of the Nurses and Midwives Training School at Sekondi and the construction of a sick bay at the Sekondi Naval Base.