Botswana Ground Forces ( BDF ) - a component of the Botswana Defense Forces . In 2009, the composition has about 9,000 active members. SVB includes command, ground forces, logistics
The Botswana NE consists of an armored brigade, two infantry brigades, four infantry battalions, two artillery regiments, an engineering regiment and a special forces regiment.
In 2000-2010, the United States was the main partner of the JSS. The United States is Botswana's largest foreign contributor to defense. Most of the SVB officers were trained in the United States. Also, military from the UK, India and Canada act as instructors.
Content
- 1 History
- 2 Participation in missions
- 3 Structure
- 4 Armament and equipment of ground forces
- 5 notes
- 6 Literature
History
After gaining independence in 1966, the President of Botswana refused to create an army, devoting funds to economic development and the fight against poverty. To ensure law enforcement and border patrolling, only a few military police units were formed with a small number of officers ( Eng. Police Mobile Unit, PMU .
Ground forces were created in 1977 to repel an attack by rebels during the War in Southern Rhodesia . In 1985, South African Defense Force assault teams invaded Botswana. After repulsing the invasion of the Rhodesian and South African forces and the onset of relative calm, the NSS took up the fight against poaching, overcoming the effects of natural disasters, and searching for and rescuing survivors in the wild. At the beginning of 1987, SVB had a small aviation wing and a total staff of about 3,000 people. By 1992, the number had grown to 7000 people, and financing amounted to about 16% of the state budget. By 1994, the aviation wing was reorganized into a separate Aviation wing of the Botswana Defense Forces and expanded significantly, which cost about $ 250 million. Since the early 1990s, soldiers of the NSS have been involved in peacekeeping in other African countries. In 2013, the number was about 12,500 people, including women.
Mission Participation
- 1992β1993 β The SVB contingent participated in a single mission led by the United States during the Somali Civil War ( ).
- 1993-1994 - UN Peacekeeping Mission UNOSOM-1 in Somalia ( ).
- 1993-1994 - participation as an observer in the UNAMIR UN peacekeeping mission in Rwanda ( .
- 1993-1994 - participation in the UN operation ONUMOZ in Mozambique ( ).
- 1995 - rescue operations during floods in most of Botswana.
- 1996 - Prevention of flooding of the ash plant in Botash (Botswana).
- 1998 - About 380 soldiers in the SADC took part in Operation Boleas in Lesotho. After the operation, the soldiers of the army of Lesotho underwent military retraining.
- 1999 - participation in the UN peacekeepers in Somalia and Darfur.
- 2007 - Participation in the UNAMID mission in Sudan (Darfur) as observers.
- 2006 - dealing with the consequences after the flood near Ramotsva.
- 2009 - dealing with the aftermath of the flood in the Kasane region.
- 2015 - protests in Gaborone and Maun.
- 2017 - Continuation of protests in major cities of Botswana.
Structure
- Headquarters ( Gaborone )
- 1st Tank Brigade (Gaborone)
- 1st Mechanized Brigade (Gaborone)
- 2nd Motorized Brigade ( Francistown )
- 3rd Motorized Brigade ( Hanseatic League )
- 1st Special Forces Regiment ( commando ) (Gaborone)
- Four separate infantry battalions
- Two artillery brigades
- One engineering regiment
- One anti-aircraft defense battalion
- One Army River Wing
In 1978, the Botswana Defense Force XI Football Club was established under the Defense Forces. The players were recruited from the willing, and some of the players from the Police Mobile Unit police team. At that time, the players of this club were former Major General B. K. Oitsile, Colonel F. Katze, Colonel F. Webb and many other military leaders of Botswana. The club from 1981 to 2004 six times became the champion of the country.
Armament and equipment of ground forces
| Photo | Type of | Description | amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Armored vehicles | ||||
| SK-105 KΓΌrassier | Light tank | twenty | As of 2018 [1] | |
| FV101 Scorpion | Light reconnaissance tank | 25 | As of 2018 [1] . | |
| LAV-150 Commando | Infantry fighting vehicle | fifty | As of 2018 some armed with 90 mm cannons, some BGM-71 TOW [1] | |
| RAM-V-1 | Reconnaissance vehicle | n.d. | As of 2018 [1] | |
| RAM-V-2 | 8 | As of 2018 [1] | ||
| RAM MK3 | 42 | As of 2017 [2] | ||
| RAM-2000 | twenty | As of 2017 [2] | ||
| VΓ©hicule BlindΓ© LΓ©ger | 64 | As of 2018 [1] | ||
| BTR-60 | Armored personnel carrier | fifty | As of 2018 [1] | |
| MOWAG Piranha III | 45 | As of 2018 [1] | ||
| 6 | As of 2018 [1] | |||
| Artillery | ||||
| APRA-40 | Multiple launch rocket system | twenty | As of 2018 [1] | |
| ATMOS 2000 | 155 mm self-propelled artillery mount | eighteen | As of 2017 [2] | |
| Soltam M-71 | 155mm towed howitzer | 12 | As of 2018 [1] | |
| L118 | 105mm towed howitzer | 12 | As of 2018 [1] | |
| 6 | As of 2018 [1] | |||
| M-43 | 120 mm mortar | 6 | As of 2018 [1] | |
| 81 mm medium mortar | 22 | As of 2018 [1] | ||
| Anti tank | ||||
| BGM-71 TOW | 152 mm anti - tank missile system | some amountPU | As of 2018 Installed on the LAV-150 Commando [1] | |
| Mapats | 156 mm anti-tank missile system | some PU | As of 2018 [1] | |
| Grg m / 48 | 84 mm manual anti-tank grenade launcher | n / a | As of 2018 [1] | |
| Air Defense Tools | ||||
| SHORAD VL MICA | Self-propelled SAM | 1 [3] [4] | As of 2017 [2] | |
| Javelin | Man-portable air defense system | n.d. | As of 2018 [1] | |
| Mistral | n.d. | As of 2017 [2] | ||
| Needle-1 | n.d. | As of 2018 [1] | ||
| Arrow 2 | n.d. | As of 2018, possibly withdrawn from service [1] | ||
| 20 mm anti-aircraft mount | 7 | As of 2018 [1] | ||
| Engineering technology | ||||
| 4KH7FA-SB Greif | Armored recovery vehicle | one | As of 2018 [1] | |
| M578 | one | As of 2018 [1] | ||
| Aardvark jsfu | Self-propelled mine trawl | n.d. | As of 2018 [1] | |
| Komatsu D155AX | Boom Machine / Bulldozer | n.d. | As of 2017 | |
| Assistive Technique | ||||
| Heavy machinery transporter | one | As of 2019 | ||
| Acmat 4.20 4x4 | 4x4 truck | fifty | As of 2017 | |
| Acmat ambulance | Ambulance car | n.d. | As of 2017 | |
| 4x4 SUV | 500 | As of 2018 [5] | ||
| Tomcar Infantry mobility vehicle | Buggy | n.d. | As of 2017 | |
Notes
- β 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 The Military Balance 2018 .-- P. 448.
- β 1 2 3 4 5 The Military Balance 2017 .-- P. 463.
- β Martin, Guy Botswana acquired 300 million euros of French weaponry in 2016 - defenseWeb unopened . www.defenceweb.co.za (3 August 2017). Date of treatment July 18, 2018. Archived on August 3, 2017.
- β Archived copy . Date of treatment July 18, 2018. Archived on August 10, 2017.
- β BDF's P161 million waste - Botswana Guardian . Date of treatment November 9, 2018. Archived November 9, 2018.
Literature
- Kenosi, Lekoko. The Botswana Defense Force and Public Trust: The Military Dilemma in a Democracy.
- Boubacar N'Diaye , The Challenge of Institutionalizing Civilian Control: Botswana, Ivory Coast, and Kenya in Comparative Perspective, Lexington Books, January 2001
- Mpho G. Molomo , 'The Trajectory of Civil-Military Relations in Botswana,' Chapter Seven of Civil-Military Relations in Developing Countries, 2013.
- Tiroyamodimo, Otitisitswe B .. Why is security a contested concept? (December 2001).
- Sharp, Paul, and Louis Fisher . βInside the 'crystal ball': Understanding the evolution of the military in Botswana and the challenges ahead.β Evolutions and Revolutions: A Contemporary History of Armed Forces in Southern Africa, Institute for Security Studies, 2005, 43-60.