EUTM Somalia – Training Somali Armed Forces to ensure the security in the country
Distinguished Visitors Day Exercise “WADAJIR 2022”.
“Coming together is a beginning.
Keeping together is progress.
Working together is success.”
(Quote by Henry Ford)
From the origins to 2022
Throughout the 12 years and seven mandates of hard teamwork, EUTM-S has evolved from a simple training unit to a more complex one, most of the times with satisfaction on the Somali side. EUTM-S has evolved from providing individual to collective training and from basic to specialized execution. The EUTM-S members have provided, shared, and promoted to and among their Somali counterparts their best experiences, knowledge, techniques, and procedures. The team has always kept in mind that the purpose of the mission is to contribute to building an appropriate Somali Armed Forces able to ensure the security within their country and developing their Somali Owned Training System (SOTS). Increasing our efforts, the past year has been characterized for EUTM-S, by the synchronization of the advising, specialized training, mentoring and the delivery of equipment to ensure that SNAF will reach the ability to operate autonomously, at least with the equipment provided by the European Union. In June started the delivery of equipment for the 14th Brigade of the Somali National Army that has included vehicles, materials and equipment of various kinds from the individual to unit level, and was complemented by training aimed at making the best use of what has been received. We also made sure that human rights classes were provided and that accountability in managing what has been received was ensured through the use of the “Asset Management System” developed and provided by United Nations for Project Services (UNOPS). All combined with an advising at both levels of the Minister of Defence and SNAF General Staff that has been constant and rich in future prospects.
Furthermore, during the last year, the common goals with the European Union Capacity Building (EUCAP) Mission in Somalia facilitated a shared understanding of the problems and an increased phase to work together in the country. With time, these efforts have brought the two European Union sisters Missions closer together, united and promoting new degrees of cooperation. The military training remains crucial, and the word “together” is essential for all the training activities in favour of the SNAF.
Training together
Exercise “WADAJIR 2022” - a step forward toward Somali National Armed Forces development.
“WADAJIR”, a Somali word that stands for “TOGETHER”, was designated by EUTM-S leadership to be the start and focal point for a new type of training, the multi-level training, which would allow the trainees to exercise in realistic conditions and to understand the complexity of warfare. General Dagabaghan Training Centre (GDTC) hosted the WADAJIR exercise between the 17th and 19th of October 2022, and created the operational environment for more than 50 Somali trainees, belonging to Battalion Commanders (BC), Platoon Leaders and Company Commander (PLCC) and Counter Improvised Explosive Devices (C-IED) Courses.
At first, the Somali officers from the Battalion Commander Course set up a Tactical Operations Centre (TOC) and planned, prepared, conducted and assessed the operations of the subordinate companies that were reinforced by an engineering capability, played by the trainees from the PLCC and C-IED courses.
Then, the battalion planning process triggered by the receipt of the brigade operation order (OPORD), allowed the staff, led by the acting battalion Commander, to proceed throughout the military decision-making process and to analyse the mission, to develop and compare the courses of actions (COAs) and to issue the battalion Operational Order (OPORD). This final product activated the Company Commanders who began the troop-leading process to plan and prepare for the four phases of the operation, which involved the deployment toward the objective, the offensive activities, the securing of the area by emplacing a new FOB, and the redeployment of the forces.
The live stage of WADAJIR, the peak of training, was carried out during the first phase of the operation with the deployment of forces. Along the fictional route toward the objective, the convoy of Somali infantrymen and engineer specialists were attacked by hostile forces using improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and small arms (AKs) to deny the friendly forces access to the enemy´s sanctuary. The battalion command post was monitoring the situation in the area of operations (AO) and keeping permanent contact with its subordinates and its higher echelon.
This continuous link with both top and bottom elements, allowed the TOC to rapidly issue a fragmentary order (FRAGO) for the Infantry Company to set up a vehicle check-point (VCP), based on an intelligence report received from the higher echelon. The reaction of the company was fast and effective, they cleared the area of possible IEDs, setup the VCP, and the action culminated in finding an IED inside a vehicle that was trying to pass through the check-point, and the reporting of this incident to the TOC using a standardized reporting template.
New training approach
WADAJIR, the first multi-level exercise conducted by the Somali trainees, was planned and prepared by EUTM-S training team in order to train multiple units concurrently, to share with the military trainees the complexity of warfare and not the least, to capitalize on the opportunity to train several tasks at the same time. The scenario of the exercise replicated the operational environment in which Somali Officers and Non-Commissioned Officers (NCO) are operating daily. Different situations, like IEDs and small arms fire attacks, casualties after terrorist activities, civilians that are sharing information with the soldiers and other incidents and events, which are actually happening in Somalia, were reproduced on the training field.
On the other hand, the fact that the battalion course trainees were able to observe the fulfilment of their orders, resulted after the planning process, made them more aware and committed to their job.
The results of WADAJIR were highly appreciated by the Somali trainees, but also by the distinguished visitors who attended during the Distinguished Visitor Day (DVD), organized during the last part of the exercise. The Deputy Ministry of Defence of the Federal Republic of Somalia, H.E. Abdulfatah Kasim Mohamud addressed the audience and acknowledged the fact that EUTM-S is teaching and training the Somali Armed Forces using modern techniques and the best trainers, aiming to provide to the Somali partner, more skilled and proficient soldiers and officers in the fight against Somalia’s enemies.
At the same time, for EUTM-S, it means the beginning of a more complex training with the Somali soldiers and one step ahead for the build-up of the Somali Armed Forces and the Somali Owned Training System.
