Ghana - Military Personnel

As of 2013 there were approximately 15,500 military personnel in Ghana. In 1994 armed forces totaled about 6,850 active personnel, consisting of army, 5,000; air force, 1,000; and navy, 850. Missions are to protect against foreign aggression and to maintain internal security.

HIV prevalence among members of the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) was estimated to be 1.0% at the end of 2005, but no follow up studies have been performed since. The DOD identifies military personnel as a priority population for HIV interventions due to their extensive travel and the concentration of femal sex workers [aka FSW] around military installations.

About half of the of the males between the military ages of eighteen and forty-five were considered physically fit for military service. There is a two-year national service requirement for male Ghanaians, but military manpower levels have always been maintained by voluntary enlistment. A limited number of women also serve in the armed forces, but all women are found in administrative positions, not in operational units. Since mid-1988, all national service personnel have undergone a six month military training program that stresses drilling, weapons handling, physical fitness, and first aid.

In late 1970 various governmental officials advanced theories on the need for a program of national conscription. Although not based on the need for military manpower, these ideas were aimed at providing young men for service in the National Service Corps, an orgarnization designed to assist the government in carrying out its program of rural development. Under the program suggested by the executive director of the government's Center for Civic Education, males above the age of eighteen would be conscripted and trained in civic action skills by the army. The National Service Corps, as initially conceived, did not represent a military or even paramilitary force, but it was to be administered by the Ministry of Defense.

The armed forces offer commissions to qualified individuals from civilian life or to those who have completed cadet training. The term of service usually is five years with reserve obligations thereafter. Most technical services officers are selected from civilian life on the basis of professional qualifications. Recruits for combat or combat support branches are required to complete two years of cadet training before receiving their commissions.

Enlisted personnel are recruited for particular service branches to satisfy specific branch needs. Enlistments last up to twelve years with various active- and reserve-duty options. Reenlistments are authorized for a total of eighteen years. In addition, unit commanders are empowered to extend this term of service on a case-by-case basis. Specifically, enlisted recruits for the technical services are required to possess at least a middle school or junior secondary school education. All personnel must pass a physical examination and be at least eighteen years of age.

The Officers are the managers, problem solvers, key influencers and planners who lead Enlisted Soldiers in all situations are responsible for leading and training enlisted. Enlisted Officers are military officers who ares given authority through a officer, but he or she is not technically considered to be in command.

GAF is not a conscripted Army and Ghanaians opting to serve, do so on their own volition. The desire to serve does not guarantee admission but rather interest and commitment whilst the GAF reserves the right to select candidates in accordance with its rules, regulations and expectations.

• Be a Ghanaian citizen by birth.
• Be of good character.
• Be not less than 20 years and not more than 25 years by 20th April, 2015 for Regular Commission and not more than 30 years by 15th April, 2015 for Short Service Commission.
• Be medically fit by Ghana Armed Forces standard.
• Be not bonded.
• Be not married (for Regular Officer Candidates only).
• Be of minimum height of 1.68m (5` 6“) for males and 1.57m (5` 2“) for females. For military police only; the minimum height for male applicants should be 1.75m (5`9“) and 1.70m (5`7“) for females.

On 23 December, 2015, a total of 501 recruits undergoing training at the Army Recruit Training School (ARTS) at Shai Hills in the Greater Accra Region were dismissed and sent home packing. The recruits' behaviour was far reaching and inimical to the security of the state. From my investigations and official sources, it is confirmed that some members of the recruits protested and demonstrated that the training they were undergoing was too strenuous and considered the training as punishment. The decision taken by the GAF was swift and justified militarily because the conduct of the recruits was nothing but mutiny.

Recruit training is a program of physical and mental training required to convert an individual to become a soldier in the Ghana Army. The basic training is designed to be highly intense and challenging and in all countries, some recruits collapse and die in the course of training. The challenges come from the difficulty in physical training and the required quick psychological adjustment to an unfamiliar way of life. The basic training is divided into two parts namely, basic combat training and Individual training.

In basic training, individuals learn about the fundamentals of being a soldier, from combat techniques to the proper way to address a superior whilst the individual training covers rigorous physical training to prepare their bodies and minds for the eventual physical and mental strain of combat situations.

Training is an important aspect of any military endeavour. It empowers personnel to be mentally robust, physically fit and professionally competent in the performance of their duties as members of the Armed Forces. In this regards the Military Academy and Training Schools (MATS) has its main preoccupation the empowerment of members of the Ghana Armed Forces in the acquisition of the requisite knowledge to enhance their professional output in the Armed Forces.

The Military Academy And Training Schools (MATS) headquarters is located at WHISTLER BARRACKS, TESHIE, ACCRA. MATS is a Training Command and under General Headquarters (GHQ), Ministry of Defence, BURMA CAMP. MATS is under Army HQ for administration and technical control. The establishment number is G/64/1 (Amendment 9/74) dated 11 February 1974.

MATS is responsible for the training of Officer Cadets for commission into the Army, Navy and Air Force of the Ghana Armed Forces, as well as career, trade and technical training for the development of officers and men of the Armed Forces. The headquarters of MATS Command is located at Whistler Barracks Accra Ghana.

Currently, there are eleven Schools under MATS Command. The schools are located in Accra. Aside the core functions of the schools to training members of the Ghana Armed Forces, some of the schools have national accreditation from National Board for Technical Examinations (NABTEX) and other tertiary institutions to run certain courses for the general public. Some of the certifications that are awarded to participants in completion of the stipulated period of training include West African Senior Secondary Certificate Examination and City and Guilds (London). MAST also undertakes training for other service and other civil organisations.

In 1940, the British established the West African Command Training School (WACTS) to unite training in West Africa and produce knowledgeable non-commissioned officers (NCOs) to fight during the Second World War. This was renamed the Royal West Africa Frontier Force Training School (WAFFTS) in 1956 and then Military Academy and Training Schools in November 1961.

WACTS was originally made up of 3 schools: the Jungle Battle School in Nigeria, the School of Education in Sierra Leone and the Clerk Training School in Ghana. The Jungle Battle School and the School of Education were moved to Ghana, then Gold Coast, in 1945 and 1946 respectively.

MATS expanded into 14 schools until the Army Training Command was established. This saw the detachment of 3 of the schools to the Army Training Command. These were the Army Combat Training School, The Jungle Warfare School and the Army Drill and Duties School. Currently eleven schools form the MATS Command which is headed by a two star General.

The location of Headquarters of MATS Command was named after Lieutenant General Lashmer Whistler, the General Officer Commanding – West African Command in 1951. General Whistler was instrumental in the establishment of the Royal Officers Special Training School at its current location which later became the Ghana Military Academy.

The mission of MATS is to implement the Ghana Armed Forces Training Policy as directed by the Chief of the Defence Staff (CDS), Ghana Armed Forces from time to time. MATS aims at diligently pursuing the training schedules so outlined by GHQ ensuring that the following objectives of training are achieved:

• Mentor, train and empower members of the Ghana Armed Forces to carry out their primary duty of defending the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ghana from internal and external aggression.
• Officers, Officer Cadets and men obtain a very high standard of mental physical and spiritual instruction to enable them achieve a high technical and professional competence.
• Training focuses on building proficiency in the Armed Forces of Ghana.
• The creation of an environment that encourages professional development of all leaders at all levels and fosters cooperation and network.
• Full achievement of standardized, mutually supportive training practices at all levels in the Ghana Armed Forces.

Military training for all officer candidates of the army, air force, and navy is conducted at the Ghana Military Academy near Accra. Entrance to the academy is by examination, and the curriculum includes military and general subjects. Army cadets train for two years. At the end of the first six months, a few candidates may be selected to finish their studies at foreign institutions such as the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst in Britain. The Ghana Military Academy, established in 1960, also provides short courses in higher military education for the officers of the three services. The best senior officers are selected periodically to attend the Army Staff College at Camberley in Britain or one of several other senior service schools in foreign countries.

The Armed Forces Training School at Kumasi trains army, air force, and navy recruits. The basic army training course lasts nine months and is followed by advanced individual training in the assigned unit. This school also provides specialist training. A parachute training school is located at Tamale and a jungle warfare school at Achiasi.

The army conducted numerous field exercises with a variety of code names, including Hot Foot, Deep Thrust, Operation Swift Sword, Full Impact, and Starlight Stretch. These exercises test an array of skills. Full Impact 88, for example, marked the first time that Ghanaian army, air force, and navy units trained together. Deep Thrust 89 emphasized jungle warfare, junior leadership, and physical fitness. Starlight Stretch 89, which was held at Daboya in the northern region, improved low-level operations for company groups in the infantry battalion.

To enhance regional collective security, the Ghanaian army also has participated in joint exercises with Burkina Faso (Burkina, formerly Upper Volta). In November 1983 and in early 1985, the two countries sponsored joint exercises codenamed Bold Union and Teamwork 85. The latter involved 5,500 troops and ninety officers from the two armed forces. These personnel engaged in maneuvers in which government soldiers defended themselves against a battalion-strong enemy force which had installed itself on Dwarf Island near the strategically critical Akosombo Dam.

The Ghanaian government subsequently pledged to help defend its neighbor in case of armed aggression. As a result of this agreement, Ghana and Burkina continued joint exercises. In late 1986, a 3,000-member contingent of soldiers from Ghana and Burkina participated in a week-long exercise to test the combat readiness of their armed forces and security agencies. Then, in September 1987, the two countries staged a three-day exercise code-named Operation Vulcan in northern Ghana's Tamale region. During this exercise, paratroopers of the two countries parachuted into "friendly" territory to give support to ground forces under simulated enemy fire. Later that year, Ghana and Burkina concluded a three-month exercise in which four British trainers participated.

The US Ambassador to Ghana, His Excellency Robert Jackson has paid a working visit to the Chief of the Army Staff (COAS), Major General OB Akwa at the Army Headquarters, Burma Camp on Thursday 30 September 2016. In an interaction with COAS, Ambassador Jackson expressed his delight on the good working relationship that had existed between Ghana and the US for all these years, adding that the relationship had yielded mutual benefits to both countries.

Commenting on training, Ambassador Jackson underscored the need for US troops to continue training with the Ghana Army at the Jungle Warfare School, Achiase and be allowed access to training facilities.

The Chief of the Army Staff, Maj Gen OB Akwa expressed his heartfelt gratitude to the US government on behalf of the Ghana Army, saying that the Army appreciates the increasing support in terms of capacity building, logistics and other assistance. COAS explained further that, though troops continue to train at the Bundase Training Camp, there are proposals underway for the relocation of the Camp to a new location.