US Army should help BDF with their polluting trucks
Richard Moleofe | Friday November 18, 2016 14:38
Botswana Defence Force (BDF) is one military establishment that has always enjoyed a lot of freebies from the USA government through the Department of Defence. This week we have seen the commencement of a course conducted by the US Army at the BDF barracks.
This course will in many ways help BDF to grow in its reach in the area of logistics and particularly transportation. I have always maintained that logistics is the lifeblood of war and hence the need to intensify efforts around this important subject.
BDF is one of the militaries in Africa which takes its transportation seriously. Many of their vehicles are road worthy and sound for any kind of military operations.
The US Army has always had a stake in the training of BDF officers and men. Several officers have been trained in Fort Lee, Virginia. This is the world’s biggest military logistics hub. It consists of the school for training logisticians and the Army Logistics Centre.
Americans are very professional when it comes to logistics. And for that reason they have invested handsomely. In 1994 I had an opportunity of touring the Fort Lee Army Logistics Centre and School. One of the students studying ordinance there was Major Pholoentsho from BDF. This officer and many others have been exposed to a wider range of things in the way the US Army conducts logistics. Major Pholoentsho also went to the Aberdeen Proving Grounds were ordinances are tested.
Not only have they contributed in the training, they have also donated handsomely. The first real armoured personnel carriers BDF had were the Cadillac V150 (the duck as it was commonly known during the Vietnam conflict).
BDF has depended heavily on the use of airboats which came as part of the US military assistance to Botswana. These have been used in the anti poaching operations and have been very effective particularly in the swamp areas of northern Botswana. These have also been used to save lives during floods that Botswana sometimes experiences.
But what is the overall condition of BDF’s transportation? BDF is one organisation which is very good when it comes to maintenance of vehicles. They are keeping an old fleet which is still serviceable.
The first Mercedes Benz trucks that arrived back in 1979 are still in use at BDF. Of course they are still in use thanks to the German technical assistance. They have been refurbished through a programme paid in by the German government while BDF provided labour. They are still impressively moving on our roads and performing well.
However, one of the latest entries in the inventory of the defence force was the French ACMAT. This was highly acclaimed by General Fisher upon their arrival. These are very unfriendly to the environment. They are some of the heaviest polluters in this country. Most of them are heavy smokers.
They are really giving a serious headache to BDF’s mechanical engineers when it comes to maintenance issues. There are unconfirmed rumours on Radio Trench (which is BDF’s gossip social media) that the trucks were not new when they came. It is rumoured that they were refurbished before being shipped to Botswana.
Whoever did the refurbishment on the ACMAT did a shoddy job. It is common to see them on our public roads with a sign hanging that reads, 'BDF VEHICLE ON TEST.' Because they are problematic, they will soon need to be scrapped.
This is where the US Army will further become useful to BDF’s transportation issues. They have certain standards that they apply in deciding which vehicle must stay and which one must go. We could borrow their barometer and tone it down to standards of a developing country. Obviously, the ones that perpetually smoke will not meet the mark.
Did you know that our current minister of transport was a pioneer of BDF’s Mechanical Engineers’ Workshops? He is a well experienced man and two weeks ago I was left flabbergasted with his comments about grey imports from Asia. I still maintain that all vehicles including those of government should undergo a mandatory test every two years to ascertain levels of emission. That is a very simple test that requires at least five minutes for each vehicle. Then that same measure should be applied on vehicles that arrive here as imports. Imported vehicles usually undergo a rigorous test before they are allowed to drive on our roads.
I really question the motive of Captain Mokaila in his quest to shut all doors on grey imports. He is not an ignorant man. He carries with him vast experience from the likes of the Hyundai plant which was based in Gaborone.
I once again question the motive behind the collapse of this plant. The same forces that want to shut the door on grey imports may be linked to the closure of the Hyundai plant.
Back in the years, the Korean manufactured cars were so cheap in price and high in quality. We could all afford to purchase them. But now that they are gone, our only hope as a nation is to queue up in Mogoditshane for the imported vehicles. Coming back to the issue of transportation at BDF, they need to revisit the types of vehicles they have used in the past. As far as I am concerned, Mercedes Benz and the Israeli M325 have served BDF better than any other vehicle including the Land Rover.
It is upon the new administration to streamline their transport needs and settle for a standard vehicle in the truck and light utility categories. Our purchase and choice of vehicles has in the past been influenced by factors that don’t necessarily fall in line with the needs of our developing military.
Apology
In our edition dated November 11, 2016 we erroneously reproduced an article titled “The police must stop being a nuisance on our roads”. We would like to apologise to our valued readers for the mistake.