BDF can benefit greatly from the US increased defence spending
Richard Moleofe | Friday March 17, 2017 16:36
What has been outstanding in the speech is the eye-popping $54 billion increase in the defence budget.
This budget certainly affects the rest of the world and Botswana included. And how can Botswana Defence Force (BDF) benefit from this great leap in as far as the defence industry is concerned. Certainly this increase will change the world’s defence industry as we know.
I think the fairest question we could be asking now is; how has Botswana positioned herself to benefit from the proposed US defence budget? The positioning does not begin in the present but what is most significant is the past relationship between us and the Americans.
The US Department of Defence has in the past invested handsomely in the development of Botswana’s security through several programmes such as IMET (International Military Education and Training) which has literally covered every commissioned officer in the 1990 and before.
Beyond that, American troops have been frequenting this country to do training exercises with the local military. Beside that they have conducted several courses here for both officers and the non-commissioned cadre.
The US policy on Botswana and the rest of Southern Africa has been the restriction of lethal military aid in order not ignite an arms race. Botswana has in the past benefitted from donations such as helmets, bulletproof vests and armoured vehicles.
Now that we have had a very long standing relationship with the Americans in the area of defence, what would be a trickle-down effect on our country in view of the proposed defence budget? There is so much that Botswana could glean from in terms of used military hardware. President Trump is simply fulfilling his political campaign promise of revamping the military. One area he specifically focused on during the campaign was to rid the military of obsolete hardware.
There is so much military hardware left over from the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts that we can still use for another 20 years or so. I can predict with a high level of certainty that the US military will not carry this forward as they transition through the new military funding.
But through the years we have seen a steady decline of other forms of assistance from the Americans toward Botswana. There are several factors which have contributed here, but top among the list is the fact that Botswana’s economy has been experiencing growth. In Southern Africa, Botswana has the highest GDP that even surpasses that of South Africa.
But in the area of defence, the US is looking for partners world-wide and this is particularly for purposes of winning the war on terror. So Botswana could easily become a candidate of acquiring US military hardware as a donation or at reasonably low prices, but I don’t see this coming. In recent years, Botswana has not honoured the nourishing of good relations with the US in as far as defence and security is concerned. Botswana has not bothered to buy any military hardware from any US defence firms. Instead, we as a country have gone on a shopping spree for military hardware in Europe.
The only European countries that have considered Botswana for any donation or discounted military hardware are Germany and Holland. The Germans sponsored the refurbishment of the first Mercedes Benz fleet that BDF acquired in the early 1980s while Holland sent over heavily discounted vehicles at the close of the Cold War as part of their drawdown.
In the past, Botswana had been getting closer to the hearts of the Americans with their world class maintenance standards on all US-made aircraft.
This includes the Hercules C 130 and the Northrop F-5. The F-5 in particular has well developed platforms at BDF. This could be a stepping stone to acquiring more sophisticated fighter/bomber aircraft from the US. The used ones could be much cheaper than what BDF is currently pursuing with Sweden and South Korea.
Over time, Botswana has shown herself to be a more mature and responsible democracy and I wouldn’t see how Congress could block any arms sales to this country. BDF has also not been interfering in the political process of governing the country.
Over the years, BDF has been receiving aid from the Department of Defence in financing their HIV prevention project. The funding came through the Office of Defence and Cooperation which acted as a conduit for PEPFA. The deal with BDF has helped in the development of capacity to conduct HIV testing in modern laboratories with state-of-the-art equipment. The fund has over the years been used for building capacity for BDF to conduct a reasonable HIV/AIDS programme in the midst of a sweeping epidemic.
PEPFA has been drastically transformed by the Obama administration as the programme has been seeing a shrinking budget. However, BDF needs money to maintain its HIV programme in areas such as condom procurement and distribution. BDF’s HIV/AIDS programme exists and remains at the mercy of the goodwill of the US Department of Defence
The US is the only NATO country with a military attaché in Botswana. The rest have closed shop and are now operating from either Harare or Pretoria. This is an indication that the US still regards Botswana as a key partner in several areas of defence and security.
It is only for Botswana to demonstrate her seriousness and commitment to this relationship in order to benefit from President Trump’s messianic promise to the US military. It is vital that Botswana closes ranks with the only remaining NATO country that continues to exhibit unwavering interest in the growth of our country’s security.
For Botswana to see her prosperity in the area of peace and security, she must involve the Americans who have always been keen in helping in time of need.