Defence Online

UK Armed Forces train alongside Sierra Leonean troops for first time

Maritime January 9, 2017

The Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon has announced the training of UK Armed Forces alongside Sierra Leonean troops for the first time ever.

Almost 90 soldiers from 1st The Queen’s Dragoons Guards’ ‘B’ Squadron recently deployed alongside 25 soldiers from the Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces for a jungle exercise to learn the skills to live and fight in this environment.

The UK is strongly committed to supporting Africa with two-thirds of Britain’s entire global short-term training team effort is invested in the continent, which equates to around 18,000 man days of training per year.

Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon said: “Training with Sierra Leonean forces is just the latest example of the UK stepping up globally to tackle international threats that put Britain at risk.

“Backed by Britain’s rising Defence budget and by working with allies in Africa, Britain’s armed forces can help ensure stability in the region which helps to deliver security at home in the UK.”

Royal Navy ships have been sent to support Operation Sophia in the Mediterranean, which focuses on tackling human smugglers and arms traffickers who threaten the lives of migrants seeking to travel to Europe, often from northern Africa.

HMS Bulwark, HMS Enterprise, HMS Echo, HMS Diamond, HMS Richmond and RFA Mounts Bay have all been deployed since 2015, with UK ships saving almost 15,000 of the 31,000 migrants rescued during the operation, as well as combating the activity of criminal gangs.

As well as countering Daesh in Iraq and Syria, the UK also plays a role stemming extremism in Africa, supporting security in the countries affected, in turn making Britain safer.

In Tunisia, the UK helps defend against Daesh by training Tunisian forces in border security to prevent illegal movement from Libya, and protecting against the threat posed by Improvised Explosive Devices (IED), and around 1,000 members of the Tunisian Armed Forces have been trained in counter-IED techniques.

In Nigeria, British troops continue to train Nigeria Armed Forces fighting Boko Haram. Over 350 British troops deployed to Nigeria in 2016 in support of the resident British Military Advisory and Training Team, including a 70-strong team from the RAF Regiment to help train its Nigerian counterpart, the largest Short Term Training Team the UK has sent to Nigeria to date.

In total, around 22,000 Nigerian military personnel have been trained since April 2015, underlining the scale of UK support. This follows the Defence Secretary’s announcement last year of a doubling of UK personnel to train Nigerian forces, and Britain has also recently provided life-saving medical supplies to equip 5,000 Nigerian troops as they take on the extremist group.

Separately, the UK has stepped up its presence in Somalia, and around 65 UK troops are backing UN, EU and African Union efforts in country, supporting work to build stability, enhance the effectiveness of the Somali National Army, and help neutralise the threat posed by Al-Shabaab extremists. A UK Headquarters has been established in Mogadishu to coordinate UK effort in Somalia.

Sir Michael added: “Wherever terrorism rears its ugly head, Britain will continue to back our friends as they work to defeat threats posed by these barbaric groups, including Daesh, Boko Haram and Al-Shabaab.

“By helping our allies defeat terrorism and international crime around the world, our Armed Forces make the world more stable making Britain more secure and our streets safer.”

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Royal Navy Sierra Leone Sir Michael Fallon UK Armed Forces