Ho, – The 66 Artillery Training School has graduated units of the Central and Northern Commands of the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF), who have completed Infantry Fire Support and Basic Technical Assistants courses at the school.
The courses, which lasted eight weeks, were introduced by the training school towards the successful operationalisation of the 107mm Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS).
Brigadier General Joseph Aphour, the General Officer Commanding (GOC), Central Command, at the graduation ceremony in Ho, said the threat to security in the West African sub-region was on the rise, forcing the Ghana Armed Forces to adjust its strategies and training.
“The Ghana Army is reorganising itself to enable it to deter, detect and defeat threats. While the Armed forces are transforming, the insurgents and terrorists are also transforming their modus operandi. The Ghana Armed Forces are adopting a more dynamic, preemptive information-led approach that would unhinge any adversary’s understanding, decision making and execution,” he said.
The GOC noted, therefore, that the effectiveness and efficiency of the Armed Forces required “rigorous comprehensive” training and exercises and said the military High Command commended the Artillery Training School’s introduction of the Infantry Fire Support and Basic Technical Assistants Courses, which he asked to be expanded.
He expressed hope that operations in the various commands would be impacted by the proficiency attained at the training and encouraged the students not to let the skills and knowledge acquired go waste, but to build upon them to remain indispensable.
The Commander commended training officers, instructors and administrative staff of the Academy and said his office had tabs on challenges faced during the training and would continue to offer the necessary support to enable the Academy to realise its vision.
Lt Col. Kwame Sam Appiah, Commanding Officer of the training school, said the training incorporated lectures, practical demonstrations and field training and added that the live firing of the 107 mm rocket system was a first in the history of the school.
He said the training school pursued its vision of excellence in professional efficiency and effectiveness of Artillery Corps personnel across the nation and among other African countries.
The Commanding Officer said the Artillery Corps training programme had been undertaken by the school since 2018, following discussions with the GOC Southern command and had been designed to maintain high academic standards.
He commended students for their efforts towards the success of the programme but lamented some challenges encountered during the training and which included accommodation for students and vehicle logistics, most notably a school bus.
Lt. Col. Appiah remarked that average scores for both courses showed that “students were highly motivated and have imbibed the basic artillery tactics, techniques and procedures to enable them to perform their roles.”
Source: Ghana News Agency
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