By Staff Reporter
ABOUT 600 Special military personnel from ten (10) member states of Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) are expected to partake in the Special Forces Exercise Codenamed as “Welwitchia”, in Swakopmund from September 30 to 15 October 2013.
In a Media Release from the Ministry of Defence, Members of Special Forces from SADC countries started arriving in Namibia on September 4 – 07 to partake in the special training exercise to be held in Namibia’s desert region of Erongo.
The SADC Special Forces was established by the Inter-state Defence and Security Committee (IDSC) to be used as a force multiplier to the SADC Standby Force. It has been embracing the same exercise in various SADC countries. The latest training was held in Lesotho in 2012.
As from September 9-29, the Forces will be integrated and marrying up drills and training prior to the main exercise from September 30 to October 7, 2013.
These military personnel are from Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Namibia the host country will participate in the annual multinational forces warfare simulation exercise to run over 35 days (5weeks).
The aim of the exercise among others; is to equip soldiers in the Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures (TTP) applicable in a desert geographical areas and hot condition as well as improving SADC Special Forces readiness and interoperability.
It will also improve sustainment and replenishment of SADC Special Forces in order to achieve operational objectives and to introduce the doctrine used during previous exercises to a wider grouping/audience of SADC Special Forces.
The media statement explains that this exercise will improve Command and Control during planning preparation and execution and the coordination of SADC Special Forces operations during anti-piracy within the coastal region.
This will also going to portray each SADC Special Forces member state as ready and able to support their Government Objectives.
“The contingents from these SADC countries will arrive in Namibia via various entry points across the country and as such the public is informed not to be frightened or be confused during this run-through.” Said the Ministry of Defence in the statement.
The Namibia Defence has however warned the public to stay away from the exercising areas to avoid possible causalities and accidents due to the intensiveness of the exercise, that the soldiers involving in the exercise will use both dummy and live ammunitions to demonstrate their real military capability,
A Coalition Press Information Center (CPIC) will be established in Swakopmund to facilitate media coverage and provide responses to media outlets.
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