Botswana Defence Force
Encyclopedia
The Botswana Defence Force (BDF) is the military
of Botswana
. It was formed in 1977 and has approximately 9,000 members. The commander is Lieutenant General Tebogo Masire
. The commander in chief is the President of Botswana. Being a landlocked country, Botswana has no navy
.
and the region, the BDF's missions have increasingly focused on anti-poaching
activities, disaster
-preparedness, and foreign peacekeeping
. The United States has been the largest single contributor to the development of the BDF, and a large segment of its officer corps has received U.S. training.
The BDF consists of one armoured brigade, two infantry brigades, four infantry battalions, two armoured artillery, one engineer regiment and one commando regiment.
), Botswana National Police
males age 18-49:
350,649 (2005 est.)
males age 18-49:
136,322 (2005 est.)
males:
21,103 (2005 est.)
. Some units are equipped with 5.56mm selective-fire rifles including the 5.56mm US M-4
, M16A2
and M16A4, the British Sterling Armament AR-18
and Sterling L-82A-2/SA-80, and the Israeli IMI Galil ARM
. Some reserve and police units utilize the Belgian FN FAL
7.62mm rifle. Machine guns include the old Bren 0.303 MK-II\MK-III 0.303 L-4A4 LMG, the 5.56mm FN Minimi
and 7.62mm FN MAG
LMG, the ex-Soviet PKT HMG (for GAZ BTR-60PB APCs), the SG-43 MMG, the MG-74 (ex. MG-42\59) MMG for the SK-105A-1 Kurassier LT, the US 7.62mm M1919
A4 MMG (for Eland-90 ARVs), and the .50BMG M2 Browning HMG. The Botswana LDF are equipped with a variety of armoured cars.
) funds from the USA remain important to Botswana's officer training programme. Over 30 Botswana officers receive military training in the US each year; by 1999 approximately 85% of the BDF officers are said to have been trained under this system.
$207.3 million (FY02), $61 million (FY99/00)
3.5% (FY02), 1.2% (FY99/00)
Military
A military is an organization authorized by its greater society to use lethal force, usually including use of weapons, in defending its country by combating actual or perceived threats. The military may have additional functions of use to its greater society, such as advancing a political agenda e.g...
of Botswana
Botswana
Botswana, officially the Republic of Botswana , is a landlocked country located in Southern Africa. The citizens are referred to as "Batswana" . Formerly the British protectorate of Bechuanaland, Botswana adopted its new name after becoming independent within the Commonwealth on 30 September 1966...
. It was formed in 1977 and has approximately 9,000 members. The commander is Lieutenant General Tebogo Masire
Tebogo Masire
Tebogo Masire is the former deputy commanderand current commander of the Botswana Defence Force . He assumed the post on November 1, 2006, succeeding Lt. Gen. Louis Matshwenyego Fisher....
. The commander in chief is the President of Botswana. Being a landlocked country, Botswana has no navy
Navy
A navy is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake- or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions...
.
History
Following political changes in South AfricaSouth Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
and the region, the BDF's missions have increasingly focused on anti-poaching
Poaching
Poaching is the illegal taking of wild plants or animals contrary to local and international conservation and wildlife management laws. Violations of hunting laws and regulations are normally punishable by law and, collectively, such violations are known as poaching.It may be illegal and in...
activities, disaster
Disaster
A disaster is a natural or man-made hazard that has come to fruition, resulting in an event of substantial extent causing significant physical damage or destruction, loss of life, or drastic change to the environment...
-preparedness, and foreign peacekeeping
Peacekeeping
Peacekeeping is an activity that aims to create the conditions for lasting peace. It is distinguished from both peacebuilding and peacemaking....
. The United States has been the largest single contributor to the development of the BDF, and a large segment of its officer corps has received U.S. training.
The BDF consists of one armoured brigade, two infantry brigades, four infantry battalions, two armoured artillery, one engineer regiment and one commando regiment.
Organization
Botswana Defence Force (includes Army and Air WingBotswana Defence Force Air Wing
The Botswana Defence Force Air Wing is the air arm of the Botswana Defence Force of the country of Botswana in southern Africa.-Overview:The Air Wing was formed in 1977 and is organisationally part of the Botswana Defence Force....
), Botswana National Police
- Military age: 18 years of age
- Availability:
males age 18-49:
350,649 (2005 est.)
- Fit for military service:
males age 18-49:
136,322 (2005 est.)
- Reaching military age annually:
males:
21,103 (2005 est.)
Equipment
The Botswana land forces are equipped with a variety of small arms. The standard infantry rifle is the Kalashnikov AKM/AK-47AKM
The AKM is a 7.62mm assault rifle designed by Mikhail Kalashnikov. It is an upgraded version of the AK-47 rifle and was developed in the 1950s....
. Some units are equipped with 5.56mm selective-fire rifles including the 5.56mm US M-4
M4 carbine
The M4 carbine is a family of firearms tracing its lineage back to earlier carbine versions of the M16, all based on the original AR-15 designed by Eugene Stoner and made by ArmaLite. It is a shorter and lighter variant of the M16A2 assault rifle, with 80% parts commonality.It is a gas-operated,...
, M16A2
M16A2
M16A2 is a designation for two pieces of military hardware:* M16A2 rifle* M16A2 mine...
and M16A4, the British Sterling Armament AR-18
AR-18
The AR-18 is a gas operated, selective fire assault rifle chambered for 5.56x45mm ammunition. The AR-18 was designed at ArmaLite in California by Arthur Miller, George Sullivan, and Charles Dorchester in 1963 as an improved alternative to the AR-15 design, which had just been selected by the U.S....
and Sterling L-82A-2/SA-80, and the Israeli IMI Galil ARM
IMI Galil
The Galil is a family of Israeli small arms designed by Yisrael Galil and Yaacov Lior in the late 1960s and produced by Israel Military Industries Ltd of Ramat HaSharon...
. Some reserve and police units utilize the Belgian FN FAL
FN FAL
The Fusil Automatique Léger or FAL is a self-loading, selective fire battle rifle produced by the Belgian armaments manufacturer Fabrique Nationale de Herstal . During the Cold War it was adopted by many North Atlantic Treaty Organization countries, with the notable exception of the United States...
7.62mm rifle. Machine guns include the old Bren 0.303 MK-II\MK-III 0.303 L-4A4 LMG, the 5.56mm FN Minimi
FN Minimi
The Minimi is a Belgian 5.56mm light machine gun developed by Fabrique Nationale in Herstal by Ernest Vervier. First introduced in 1974, it has entered service with the armed forces of over thirty countries...
and 7.62mm FN MAG
FN MAG
The FN MAG is a Belgian 7.62 mm general-purpose machine gun, designed in the early 1950s at Fabrique Nationale by Ernest Vervier. It has been used by more than 80 countries, and it has been made under licence in countries such as Argentina, Egypt, India, Singapore, the United Kingdom and the...
LMG, the ex-Soviet PKT HMG (for GAZ BTR-60PB APCs), the SG-43 MMG, the MG-74 (ex. MG-42\59) MMG for the SK-105A-1 Kurassier LT, the US 7.62mm M1919
M1919
Under the old Model-year nomenclature system many different Pieces of equipment had the same Model number.* M1919 Browning machine gun* 16"/50 caliber M1919 gun* M1919 Christie 57mm Gun Medium Tank...
A4 MMG (for Eland-90 ARVs), and the .50BMG M2 Browning HMG. The Botswana LDF are equipped with a variety of armoured cars.
Military education and training
IMET (International Military Education and TrainingInternational Military Education and Training
International Military Education and Training is the title of a United States security assistance program, a type of student exchange program. The policies underlying this program are directed by the United States Department of State's Bureau of Political-Military Affairs and the constituent...
) funds from the USA remain important to Botswana's officer training programme. Over 30 Botswana officers receive military training in the US each year; by 1999 approximately 85% of the BDF officers are said to have been trained under this system.
Military expenditures
- Dollar figure:
$207.3 million (FY02), $61 million (FY99/00)
- Percent of GDP:
3.5% (FY02), 1.2% (FY99/00)
BDF Land Forces units
(15,000 men- 1 x armoured brigade (MBTs)
- 1st Armoured Brigade (Gaborone)
- 3 x infantry brigades
- 1st Infantry Brigade (Mechanized Brigade at Gaborone)
- 2nd Infantry Brigade (Motorized Brigade at Francistown)
- 1 x commando-paratroop regiment
- 1st Commando Regiment (Gaborone)
- 4 x independent infantry battalions
- 2 x armoured artillery brigades
- 1 x combat engineering regiment
- 1 x air defence battalion
- 1 x river-wing (including divers and rescue units)
BDF Air Wing Units
(500 men according to The Military Balance 2011)- Thebephatshwa\Melopolole - FBTP
- Z.1 Air Transport squad
- Z.7 Training squad
- Z.10 Air Transport squad
- Z.21 Helicopter squad
- Z.23 Helicopter squad
- Z.28 FGA squad
- Gaborone Sir Seretse Khama international air port - FBSK
- VIP Flight
- Francistown - FBFT
- Z.3 Air Transport squad
- Z.12 Air Transport squad
- Z.18 FGA squad
Domestic operations
- 1995 - BDF undertook rescue missions during floods that hit major parts of the country.http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:I-KH1mbLXxQJ:www.gov.bw/en/PrintingVersion/%3Fprintid%3D1623+BDF+peacekeeping+operations+somalia+lesotho&cd=2&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us
- 1996 - BDF deployed soldiers and equipment at Sua Pan in 'Operation Save Sua' to save the berm wall of Botswana Ash (Botash) plant, which was being threatened by heavy floods. The soldiers laid 90,000 sandbags and 12,000 tires in the operation.http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:I-KH1mbLXxQJ:www.gov.bw/en/PrintingVersion/%3Fprintid%3D1623+BDF+peacekeeping+operations+somalia+lesotho&cd=2&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us
- 2006 - In the floods that hit Ramotswa and its surrounding areas in February 2006, BDF teams carried out relentless rescue missions and saved hundreds of lives.http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:I-KH1mbLXxQJ:www.gov.bw/en/PrintingVersion/%3Fprintid%3D1623+BDF+peacekeeping+operations+somalia+lesotho&cd=2&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us
- 2009- BDF provided assistance during the flooding that affected a large community around the Kasane area.http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:I-KH1mbLXxQJ:www.gov.bw/en/PrintingVersion/%3Fprintid%3D1623+BDF+peacekeeping+operations+somalia+lesotho&cd=2&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us
International cooperation
- In 1992 and 1993, a BDF contingent participated in 'Operation Restore Hope'- a United States led coalition of forces to restore peace in Somalia.
- From 1993 to 1994, a team of BDF officers participated in a UN peacekeeping mission in Rwanda as observers. The same year, BDF troops participated in a UN peacekeeping operation in Mozambique. http://www.gov.bw/en/Citizens/Sub-Audiences/Charity-Workers/BDF-Charities/Peace-Keeping-Missions/
- BDF also participated in 'Operation BOLEAS' a SADC military intervention in Lesotho in 1998. This operation culminated in a re-training programme for Lesotho Defence Force members. From 1998-99, 380 BDF soldiers formed part of a Southern African Development CommunitySouthern African Development CommunityThe Southern African Development Community is an inter-governmental organization headquartered in Gaborone, Botswana. Its goal is to further socio-economic cooperation and integration as well as political and security cooperation among 15 southern African states...
(SADC) task force to quell an internal uprising in LesothoLesothoLesotho , officially the Kingdom of Lesotho, is a landlocked country and enclave, surrounded by the Republic of South Africa. It is just over in size with a population of approximately 2,067,000. Its capital and largest city is Maseru. Lesotho is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations. The name...
.http://www.gov.bw/en/Citizens/Sub-Audiences/Charity-Workers/BDF-Charities/Peace-Keeping-Missions/ Botswana withdrew its contingent when the situation was thought to be sufficiently stable not to require their presence.
- The BDF has also been successfully deployed as part of the UN peacekeeping operations in both Somalia and the Darfur region of Sudan. http://www.irinnews.org/country.aspx?CountryCode=BW&RegionCode=SAF
- BDF has been conducting operational exercises with Defence Forces of neighbouring countries and other friendly forces. “Exercise Thokgamo” was one such exercise conducted in June 2005 in which SADC member states participated. Currently, the BDF has its personnel serving on an African Union Liaison Mission in Ethiopia/Eritrea and has military observers in Darfur, Sudan.http://www.gov.bw/en/Citizens/Sub-Audiences/Charity-Workers/BDF-Charities/Peace-Keeping-Missions/
External links
- Institute for Security Studies: Botswana Note: although generally a good source, this site wrongly describes Fisher as "Major General", and misspells his given name "Matshenwenyego".
- "Army Commander Accused Of Abuse" Mmegi OnlineMmegiMmegi is an English-language national newspaper in Botswana. Established in 1984, it is now published daily by Dikgang Publishing House in the capital, Gaborone. , Mmegi is Botswana's only independent newspaper to be published daily....
7 November 2005. Retrieved 25 February 2006. Example of correct title and spelling of commander's name.