U.S. DOD SAYS U.S.-BOTSWANA WORKING TOGETHER

Assistant Adjutant General - Army, Tennessee National Guard

Brigadier General Isaac G. Osborne, Jr. is the Assistant Adjutant General - Army, Tennessee National Guard. He was appointed on 11 January 2010. He is the principal advisor to the Adjutant General on matters pertaining to the Tennessee Army National Guard, and is responsible for coordinating policies, programs, and plans affecting the Soldiers of the Tennessee Army National Guard. He is also dual-hatted as Deputy Commander and Army Reserve Component Integration Advisor, United States Army Southern European Task Force, United States Africa Command. General Osborne served in various assignments as a full-time Tennessee National Guardsmen in the Federal Civil Service until his retirement in February 2009.
General Osborne was commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant, Signal Corps, through the Reserve Officer Training Corps program at East Tennessee State University on 7 June 1974 and served on Active Duty from 1974 -1978. He was appointed in the Tennessee Army National Guard 1 October 1978 from the United States Army Reserve Control Group.
　
FROM:  U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
U.S., Botswana Forces Build Capability, Partnership
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
THEBEPHATSHWA AIR BASE, Botswana, Aug. 14, 2012 - An exercise under way here between the U.S. military and the Botswana Defense Force is building capability in a growing African partner and helping to set conditions for long-term peace, stability and security on the African continent, the exercise director told American Forces Press Service.

Southern Accord 12 kicked off Aug. 1 and continues through this week, bringing together more than 600 U.S. soldiers, airmen, Marines and sailors and more than 700 of their Botswana Defense Force counterparts.

The exercise, led by U.S. Army Africa, includes joint training activities designed to enhance the capabilities of both militaries, Army Brig. Gen. Isaac G. Osborne Jr., the exercise director and assistant adjutant general for the Tennessee National Guard, told American Forces Press Service.

It includes classroom and field exercises focused on a variety of areas, including humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, anti-poaching, peacekeeping and convoy operations and aeromedical evacuation.

Also during the exercise, the Botswana Defense Force and U.S. troops are conducting outreach programs in several rural areas. These activities include dental and medical examinations, veterinary assistance and support for Botswana's national safe male circumcision program, part of its effort to fight the spread of HIV.

These efforts, Osborne said, reflect the U.S. Army Africa and U.S. Africa Command focus on helping African nations address African problems and challenges. "The concept is to promote security and stability and peace in the continent and be able to train a nation to take care of itself or to conduct peacekeeping operations in other nations," he said.

The 50,000-member Botswana Defense Force has made great strides since it was stood up in 1977, 11 years after Botswana gained independence. It has served in Operation Restore Hope in Somalia, as observers in the U.N. peacekeeping mission in Rwanda, in the U.N. peacekeeping mission in Mozambique, and in the South African Development Community intervention in Lesotho, as well as in U.N. peacekeeping operations in Somalia and the Darfur region of Sudan. Botswana Defense Force members also serve on an African Union Liaison Mission in Ethiopia/Eritrea, and Botswana has military observers in Darfur.

said he's been impressed with the Botswana Defense Force's capabilities and the interest they have in building on them.

"They have made a lot of progress, and they are open to new ideas and training," he said. "Their people are very interested in the training that we are giving. They want to learn everything they can about us and the U.S. military."

But the general emphasized that the learning is taking place on both sides, with the U.S. troops learning as the Botswana Defense Force shares its own tactics, techniques and procedures and insights into its culture.

In the process, Osborne said, his soldiers have gained a new appreciation of their African counterparts.

"We have had a lot of cases where our officers and [noncommissioned officers] have said they would take these [Botswana] soldiers side by side with them any day," he said.

After almost three years with U.S. Army Africa, Osborne said, he's optimistic about the growing receptiveness of many African nations to increasing their military-to-military engagements with the United States.

"As they learn more about what we are doing, many are deciding that they want to be involved with U.S. Army Africa's training," he said.

U.S.-BOTSWANA RELATIONS

FROM:  U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT

The United States considers Botswana an excellent partner and an advocate of and model for stability in Africa. Botswana has consistently maintained a democratic government, responsibly managed its natural resources, and invested in its people and infrastructure. The bilateral relationship is strong, grounded in a shared commitment to democracy, good governance, and human rights. The United States and Botswana also share an interest in ensuring the sustainability of Botswana's success by deepening economic diversification and promoting regional economic growth and development.

U.S. Assistance to Botswana
The United States has been a major partner in Botswana's development since its independence from the United Kingdom in 1966. The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) phased out its bilateral partnership with Botswana in the mid-1990s, after successful programs emphasizing education, training, entrepreneurship, environmental management, and reproductive health. Botswana benefits along with its neighbors in the region from USAID's Initiative for Southern Africa, based in Pretoria, and USAID's Southern Africa Trade Hub, headquartered in Gaborone. The U.S. International Board of Broadcasters operates a major Voice of America relay station in Botswana serving most of the African continent.

Botswana is one of the focus countries for PEPFAR, the President's Emergency Plan for Aids Relief. PEPFAR assistance to Botswana supports sustainable, high-quality, cost-effective HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment, and care interventions. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has undertaken many projects and has assisted many organizations in the fight against the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Botswana. HIV/AIDS-related programs also are a focus of the Peace Corps.

The International Law Enforcement Academy (ILEA), which is jointly financed, managed, and staffed by the Governments of Botswana and the United States, provides training to police and government officials from across the sub-Saharan region. Over 4,300 law enforcement professionals from 26 countries in sub-Saharan Africa have received training from ILEA since it began offering classes in 2001.

Bilateral Economic Relations
Botswana is eligible for preferential trade benefits under the African Growth and Opportunity Act. The country belongs to the Southern African Customs Union, which has signed a Trade, Investment, and Development Cooperative Agreement (TIDCA) with the United States. The TIDCA establishes a forum for consultative discussions, cooperative work, and possible agreements on a wide range of trade issues, with a special focus on customs and trade facilitation, technical barriers to trade, sanitary and phytosanitary measures, and trade and investment promotion.

Botswana's Membership in International Organizations
Botswana puts a premium on economic and political integration in Southern Africa. Botswana and the United States belong to a number of the same international organizations, including the United Nations, International Monetary Fund, World Bank, and World Trade Organization.