Thirty personnel of the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) have graduated from the Army Special Operations Forces Basic Course 5, after nine months of intensive training to prepare them for complex security operations.
The graduates, comprising one officer and 29 soldiers, underwent rigorous physical and mental assessments, tactical training and specialised instruction to develop their operational capabilities.
They began training in January this year after undergoing an assessment and selection process in November last year, which attracted 87 personnel, comprising two officers and 85 soldiers; after the assessment, only 30 candidates qualified for the training.
The graduates comprise 13 personnel from the Army Special Operations Brigade and 17 from other GAF units, including the 5th Infantry Battalion, 10th Mechanised Battalion, 153rd Armoured Regiment, Jungle Warfare School, 37th Military Hospital and the Ghana Armed Forces Physical Training School.
The training covered urban, rural, jungle, riverine and mountainous environments, with instruction in navigation, fieldcraft, communications, weapons handling, mission planning, leadership, special reconnaissance, direct action, counter-terrorism, counter-insurgency, close-quarter battle, VIP protection, survival skills and tactical combat casualty care.
Commendation
Speaking at the graduation parade at the 64th Infantry Regiment’s Bridge Square in Accra last Friday, the acting Chief of the Army Staff, Brigadier General Franklyn Worlanyo Agbebo, commended the graduates for their endurance, discipline, resilience, teamwork and tactical competence during the course.
He said special operations forces had become strategic assets in addressing contemporary security threats, emphasising that terrorism, violent extremism, transnational organised crime, cyber threats, unmanned systems and hybrid warfare had transformed the nature of military operations, requiring forces capable of responding swiftly and precisely across different operational environments.
He said the country remained vulnerable to regional security developments, particularly along its northern borders and stressed the need to strengthen surveillance, border security, rapid response and counter-terrorism capabilities.
“The Army Special Operations Brigade must consequently be recognised as a strategic national capability and asset, rather than merely an institution producing highly-trained soldiers,” he said.
Brig. Gen. Agbebo cautioned the graduates against abusing their specialised training and urged them to respect civilians, the Constitution and military law.
“Remember, you are soldiers first, operators second and above all servants of the Republic of Ghana,” he said.
Responding to emerging threats
The Commander of the Army Special Operations Brigade, Brigadier General Richard Kainyi Mensah, said the changing security environment, particularly across the Sahel and West Africa required the country to remain vigilant and strengthen its capacity to respond to emerging threats.
He said the brigade remained committed to rigorous training, realistic assessments and high professional standards to ensure operational readiness.
Brig. Gen. Mensah urged the graduates to uphold discipline, professionalism, courage, humility and sound judgement, stressing that their graduation marked the beginning of greater responsibilities.
“Exercise initiative without indiscipline, confidence without arrogance, and decisiveness without recklessness,” he advised.
He also encouraged female officers and soldiers to pursue careers in special operations, although the brigade had yet to graduate its first female operator.
He said the assessment and selection process for Basic Course 6 was scheduled for November this year and urged interested personnel to prepare for the exercise.
