SCS gives support to Eastern African Standby Force
The task was the latest in a series of training events and exercises on the Force Road Map towards achieving Full Operational Capability (FOC) in 2015.
FOC is defined as the ability to prepare and deploy a multi-national, multi-agency force to conduct Peace Support Operations (PSO) anywhere in Africa.
The Eastern African Standby Force (EASF) is required by the African Union to achieve FOC by the end of 2015; demonstrating progress with a series of annual exercises from 2008 to 2015.
Based at the EASBRIG Headquarters, the course was conducted during December and was aimed at improving the Brigade Staff Officers’ understanding of the Operational Planning Process for PSO in order to allow them to support the decision making framework by contributing successfully to the Operational Planning Process. SCS’s support included: exercise design and planning; scenario design, scripting and management; exercise control technology and after-action review.
The EASF Coordinating Mechanism (EASFCOM), Nairobi, appointed SCS to deliver the services, working alongside other facilitators from the EASFCOM, HQ EASBRIG, the International Peace Support Training Centre, Karen, Nairobi and Canada. A total of 56 students attended from EASF member states (comprising: Burundi, Comoros, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Rwanda, Sudan, Uganda, Seychelles and Somalia), many of whom are, or can expect to be operating as staff officers during an EASF field training exercise (FTX) to be conducted in Uganda in mid 2013.
Since 2009, SCS has helped EASF conduct a number of Peace Operations Planning courses and complex multinational Command Post and Field Training Exercises. Such training helps the African Union and its constituent military standby forces build capacity as they move towards achieving FOC in 2015.
Despite the limited time available for the planning and conduct of the course, all students found the course a valuable experience, which would help them in their current and future appointments. EASBRIG Commander, Brigadier General Jack Bakasumba (Uganda) in his closing address observed that the course had been an important step in capacity building, essential in preparing for the Brigade’s forthcoming FTX and a milestone on the road to EASF achieving FOC.
Donald Wilson, Director of Training Support, who has directed SCS’s support to EASF since 2009 said: “This small but interesting project shows SCS’s continued versatility and expertise in successfully meeting contemporary training requirements abroad, as well as at home in UK. The team’s contribution was fundamental to the success of the EASF MAPEX.”
