Botswana Ground Force

Last updated
Ground Forces Command
BDF emblem.svg
Founded1977
Country Botswana
Type Army
Size8,500 [1]
Part of Botswana Defence Force, Ministry of Defence, Justice, and Security
Website www.online.bdf.org.bw
Commanders
Commander-in-ChiefPresident Mokgweetsi Masisi
CommanderLieutenant General Placid Diratsagae Segokgo (DCO, PJM, DSM)
Deputy CommanderMajor General Gotsileene Morake (DCO, PJM, UNOSOM, DSM, psc)

The Botswana Ground Forces is the army of the country of Botswana, and the land component of the Botswana Defence Force.

Contents

History

General Mompati Merafhe, Founding Commander of BDF Mr Sebogodi Mompati Merafhe, Major general of the national defence forc (Source Kutlwano 1977).jpg
General Mompati Merafhe, Founding Commander of BDF

The Botswana Defence Force was raised in April 1977 by an Act of Parliament called the 'BDF Act NO 13 of 1977. [2] At its formation, Lieutenant General Mompati Merafhe (retired and former Vice President of the Republic of Botswana (now deceased)) became its first Commander. The former President of the Republic of Botswana, Lieutenant General Seretse Khama Ian Khama, then Brigadier, was the Deputy Commander. Unusually for an African military force, and chiefly attributable to its being founded after Botswana's independence, the Botswana Ground Force was not formed from colonial units formed by a colonising power, but rather were formed from the remains of the Botswana Mounted Police Unit, previously known as the Bechuanaland Mounted Police, a unit of the British South Africa Police. [3]

The contemporary roles of the Defence Force are broad for a conventional military, suggesting that the government of Botswana and the BDF subscribe to a wide view of ‘security’ and consider the Defence Force an appropriate agency for attaining much of it, an issue that has been discussed even in the BDF's own internal media. It is expected that the BDF in general is meant to be an apolitical instrument of the state. [4]

The current stated mission of the Botswana Ground Force is:
To defend the country and provide for the security of Botswana, participate in external security cooperation activities, and contribute in domestic support operations, with the aim of:

Structure and organisation

The commander-in-chief of the BDF is Mokgweetsi Masisi, the current President of Botswana. Answering to him is Lieutenant General Placid Segokgo.

2012 Botswana Defence Force Change of Command Southern Accord 2012 (7691738384).jpg
2012 Botswana Defence Force Change of Command

The various units of the Botswana Ground Force are as follows:

Ranks and insignia

The BGF and the Botswana Air Force maintain the same rank system, which is loosely based on British or Commonwealth rank systems. The ranks are as follows:

Commissioned officer ranks

The rank insignia of commissioned officers.

Rank groupGeneral/flag officersSenior officersJunior officersOfficer cadet
Flag of Botswana.svg  Botswana Ground Force [6]
Botswana-Army-OF-8.svg Botswana-Army-OF-7.svg Botswana-Army-OF-6.svg Botswana-Army-OF-5.svg Botswana-Army-OF-4.svg Botswana-Army-OF-3.svg Botswana-Army-OF-2.svg Botswana-Army-OF-1b.svg Botswana-Army-OF-1a.svg Botswana-Army-OF-(D).svg
Lieutenant general Major general Brigadier Colonel Lieutenant colonel Major Captain First lieutenant Second lieutenant Officer Cadet
Other ranks

The rank insignia of non-commissioned officers and enlisted personnel.

Rank groupSenior NCOsJunior NCOsEnlisted
Flag of Botswana.svg  Botswana Ground Force [6]
Botswana-Army-OR-9.svg Botswana-Army-OR-8.svg Botswana-Army-OR-7.svg Botswana-Army-OR-6.svg Botswana-Army-OR-4.svg Botswana-Army-OR-3.svg No insignia
Warrant officer class 1 Warrant officer class 2 Staff sergeant Sergeant Corporal Lance corporal Private
(or equivalent)

Equipment and vehicles

The BDF uses a wide array of modern weapons and vehicles. Its suppliers are Russia and Western nations, including Switzerland, the United States, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Austria, Belgium, Italy, and the United Kingdom.

In 2016 the Ministry of Defence of Botswana ordered 45 Piranha 8×8 armoured vehicles made by General Dynamics Switzerland.[ citation needed ]

Related Research Articles

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References

  1. IISS 2019, p. 453.
  2. "Republic of Botswana - Government portal". Gov.bw. 2011-01-03. Archived from the original on 2011-07-06. Retrieved 2011-02-28.
  3. "Republic of Botswana - Government portal". Gov.bw. Retrieved 2011-02-28.
  4. Otisitswe B Tiroyamodimo, Why is security a contested concept? Sethamo (Botswana Defence Force Newsletter), 37, December 2001, pp 9-11.
  5. "Republic of Botswana - Government portal". Gov.bw. 2011-01-03. Retrieved 2011-02-28.
  6. 1 2 "Ranks". Government of Botswana. Archived from the original on 26 August 2016. Retrieved 22 September 2016.

Sources