Vice Chief of Defence Forces, Lieutenant General John Omenda joined other General officers and dignitaries from East Africa Community (EAC) partner states in the official launch of the 13th East Africa Community Field Training Exercise (FTX) dubbed ‘Ushirikiano Imara 2024’ at Rwanda Military Academy (RMA) Gako, Rwanda.
This year’s significant military exercise hosted by the Rwanda Defence Forces, is aimed at bringing together participants from various nations to enhance readiness and interoperability of EAC Partner States’ Armed Forces, Police, Civilian Components and other stakeholders in responding to complex and multidimensional security challenges.
The colorful multinational event was graced by Rwanda’s Minister of Defence, Juvenal Marizamunda, who emphasized on the importance of Es spirit de corps among member states in enhancing integration on Defence.
Lt.Gen Omenda visited the Kenyan Contigent to oversee the troop’s preparedness for the exercise and urged them to uphold camaraderie with participating countries in order to achieve mission success.
The Exercise is based on a hypothetical East African State of KANGOMA, which was affected by a political crisis, hence focusing on Peace Support Operations, Counter Terrorism, Counter Piracy and Disaster Management.
During this intensive exercise, troops will showcase drills such as crowd control, coordination and communication, flexibility and patrolling in built-up areas thus highlighting high levels of professionalism and skills, underscoring the troops’ dedication to safeguarding mission mandate.
The FTX is designed based on Peace Support Operations (PSO), Counter Terrorism (CT), Counter Piracy (CP) and Disaster Management (DM). This collaborative effort aims to enhance readiness, foster cooperation, and equip participants with essential skills for their roles in maintaining peace and security.
Exercise Ushirikiano Imara 2024 is being conducted pursuant to the EAC Protocol on Cooperation in Defence Affairs and EAC that aims at bringing together EAC Partner States’ militaries and other Civilian Stakeholders to plan and conduct integrated missions.
Present during the event was Assistant Chief of Defence Forces, Major General Fredrick Leuria, Senior Officers from member states, Officers and service members.
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