U.S. GENERAL HAM SPOKE OF PROBLEMS WITH U.S. TRAINING PROGRAM IN MAIL

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Africom Commander Addresses Concerns, Potential Solutions in Mali
By Army Sgt. 1st Class Tyrone C. Marshall Jr.
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Jan. 24, 2013 - The commander of U.S. Africa Command today shared lessons learned from what he called shortcomings in the U.S.-Malian training program which have contributed to turmoil in the African nation.

Army Gen. Carter F. Ham spoke to students and faculty here at the Ralph J. Bunche International Affairs Center at Howard University, home to the nation's oldest Africa Studies program.

"We have had a U.S. training effort with the Malian armed forces for some number of years," he said. "Some of that has occurred in Mali, and some of that was Malian officers coming to the U.S. for training, to include, Captain [Amadou] Sanogo, who led the military coup which overthrew the constitutionally-elected government."

"[This is] very worrisome for us," Ham said. "So we looked at that, and we asked ourselves these questions: First of all, did we miss the signs that this was happening? And was there anything that we did in our training that could have been done differently, perhaps, and have caused a different outcome?"

The general said he believes the answer is "a little bit of both."

From a purely military standpoint, Ham said, U.S. forces focused Malian training almost exclusively on tactical and technical matters such as operating equipment, improving tactical effectiveness and aerial re-supply to remote bases.

"All of which is very, very good," he said. "We didn't spend, probably, the requisite time focusing on values, ethics and military ethos."

"When you put on the uniform of your nation, then you accept the responsibility to defend and protect that nation, to abide by the legitimate civilian authority that has been established," Ham said.

Additionally, he said, military members should act lawfully and see themselves as servants to the people of their nation.

"We didn't ... [train] that to the degree that we needed to, I think," Ham said. "I believe that we focused exclusively on tactical and technical [aspects]. So we've learned from that."

The general also talked about what he views as four "inter-related problems," to ending the turmoil in Mali.

"First is the restoration of the constitutional government in Bamako as a necessary precondition for a satisfactory solution," Ham said. "Second is addressing the concerns of a largely disaffected population in the northern portion of the country."

"Thirdly ... is the existence in northern Mali, now, of al-Qaida and other terrorist and extremist organizations that undermine the rule of law," he said. "They've eliminated the rule of law -- that's got to be dealt with."

The fourth problem, which Ham noted doesn't get much attention but is patently the most difficult to address, is bad and worsening humanitarian conditions across the Sahel region of north-central Africa.

"If any one of those four problems existed, it would be a significant problem," he said. "When all four of them exist simultaneously, it makes it increasingly complex."

The resolution of those four issues, Ham said, would be the right end state in Bamako.

"The ability for that government to extend its reach into all portions of the country," he said. "So territorial integrity of Mali is non-negotiable. No discussion of a separatist state or something like that."

"Realistically, we would all like to see the elimination of al-Qaida and other [terrorist and insurgent groups] from northern Mali," Ham said. "Realistically, probably the best you can get is containment and disruption, so that al-Qaida is no longer able to control territory [there] as they do today."

The general said extended governance would also prevent extremist organizations from controlling the lives of citizens in the country's population centers, particularly Timbuktu, Gao and Kidal.

"Those have to be freed and restored under Malian control," Ham said. "So I think that is what I would see as the [desired] end state."

Ham made it clear resolving these issues is a task for African nations and not the U.S.

"We very clearly see this from the U.S. government side, in fact and in perception, as an African-led endeavor that is done at the request of the Malian government and I think that's well under way now," he said.

GENERAL HAM SAYS AFRICAN EXERCISE ENDED IN SUCCESS

Marine Corps Cpl. Aaron Bohlen helps a Botswanan soldier fire a non-lethal weapon at a range at Thebephatshwa Air Base, Botswana, during Southern Accord 12. DOD photo by Donna Miles
FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
　
Ham Closes Southern Accord Praising U.S.-Botswana Partnership

By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
THEBEPHATSHWA AIR BASE, Botswana, Aug. 16, 2012 - The commander of U.S. Africa Command closed one of the largest joint exercises ever conducted on the African continent here today, praising the Botswanan military as a capable partner and an important and positive influence throughout southern Africa.
　
Army Gen. Carter F. Ham closed Exercise Southern Accord 12, a joint, three-week exercise that included about 700 U.S. soldiers, Marines, airmen and sailors and an equal number of their Botswana Defense Force counterparts.
　
Africom says the purpose of the exercise, the first of seven iterations of Southern Accord to be hosted by Botswana, is to train both militaries in peace keeping operations in Sub-Saharan Africa. An ambitious training schedule covered the gamut, from tactical and peacekeeper training to humanitarian road building and medical outreach missions.
　
"Over the past few weeks, American and Botswanan forces together have done a tremendous amount of training, and they have provided needed assistance to many people here in the country of Botswana," Ham said.
　
Though the engineers built roads and ponds during the exercise, he said, "the most important thing they built ... was trust."
　
That, he told a formation of U.S. and Botswanan troops assembled for the ceremony, helped to deepen an already-strong professional relationship between the two militaries. "It is the friendship, the partnership, the cooperation, the trust that has been built that will endure," he said.
　
Ham, on his first trip to Botswana since taking command of U.S. Africa Command about a year and a half ago, said the visit reinforced his appreciation for the Botswana Defense Force's capabilities. "From my observation, the Botswana Defense Force is one of the most professional military organizations that I have encountered," he said.
　
Maj. Gen. Placig Segokgo, deputy commander of the Botswana Defense Force, said the exercise offered his troops a chance to showcase that professionalism. "It provides an opportunity for us to benchmark ourselves against the very best," he said. "And it provides an opportunity for us to show ourselves to our American counterparts."
　
Achieving the ambitious objectives of Southern Accord with flying colors only enhanced that capability, and well as that of the U.S. participants, Ham said.
　
"I know that the U.S. military personnel depart Botswana better trained than when they arrived," he said. "And I am confident also that the Botswana Defense Force is better trained at the conclusion of this exercise."
　
Earlier in the day, Ham got a chance to see that proficiency firsthand during a live-fire field training exercise that culminated three weeks of intensive training exchanges. The scenario included a Botswanan-led air assault onto a landing zone, with Botswanan and U.S. forces moving onto an objective to take out elements of a notional enemy force. "This is a complete integration of U.S. and BDF soldiers," Army Lt. Col. Bill Gray, the joint task force operations officer, told Carter during the pre-mission briefing.
　
Among lessons reinforced during the exercise is the importance of strong junior- and mid-level officers, noncommissioned officers and warrant officers who serve as models and mentors for younger troops, Ham told reporters before the ceremony.
　
"We need to empower them, we need to train them, we need to help them become [the best] leaders they can possibly be, because they are the leaders at the tip of the spear," he said.
　
"Whether it is a combat operation or humanitarian assistance, it is most often a lieutenant or a sergeant or a staff sergeant or a corporal who is leading those soldiers," Ham said. "And the more investment we can make in training those junior leaders, the better off we will all be."
　
Ham recognized the strong leadership skills both militaries exhibited as they took on the challenges presented to them. "You have all, Botswanans and Americans, demonstrated during this exercise that you are prepared to take on a variety of challenging missions," he said, most importantly, their own national defense.
　
The nature of Southern Accord, with its mix of joint, combined operations that included interagency and nongovernmental aspects, reflects the type of operations the two countries are likely to conduct, Ham noted. "So the more opportunities we have to rehearse the practice those scenarios in a training exercise such as Southern Accord, the better off we will all be," he said.
　
This has far-reaching impact in the region, Ham told the assembly. "The Botswana Defense Force is, indeed, an important partner for the United States that provides a very positive influence throughout the Southern African region," he said.