The Botswana Defence Force (BDF) is the army of Botswana. It was formed in 1977 and has approximately 12,000 members. As of 2006, the commander is Lt. Gen. Matshwenyego Louis Fisher. The commander in chief is the President of Botswana. This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... 2006 is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... List of Heads of State of Botswana (Dates in italics indicate de facto continuation of office) Affiliations:- Sources http://www. ...

Overview

The BDF is a capable and well-disciplined military force. Following political changes in South Africa and the region, the BDF's missions have increasingly focused on anti-poaching activities, disaster-preparedness, and foreign peacekeeping. The United States has been the largest single contributor to the development of the BDF, and a large segment of its officer corps has received U.S. training. It is considered an apolitical and professional institution. For other uses, see Poaching (disambiguation). ... UN Peacekeepers in Eritrea. ...

The BDF consists of one armed brigade, two infantry brigades, four infantry battalions, two armed artillery, one engineer regiment and one commando regiment.

The Botswana Defence Force Air Wing is the air force of Botswana and is organisationally part of the BDF. Logo of the BDF The Botswana Defence Force Air Wing was formed in 1977 as a result of rising tension in the area and is the air force of Botswana. ... An Air force is a military or armed service that primarily conducts aerial warfare. ...

Military branches:

Botswana Defence Force (includes Army and Air Wing), Botswana National Police Logo of the BDF The Botswana Defence Force Air Wing was formed in 1977 as a result of rising tension in the area and is the air force of Botswana. ...

• Military age:

18 years of age

• Availability:

males age 15-49: 381,801 (2004 est.)

• Fit for military service:

males age 15-49: 202,176 (2004 est.)

• Reaching military age annually:

males: 20,651 (2004 est.)

Military expenditures

• Dollar figure:

$207.3 million (FY02), $61 million (FY99/00)

• Percent of GDP:

3.5% (FY02), 1.2% (FY99/00)

Overseas deployment

From 1998-99, 380 BDF soldiers formed part of a Southern African Development Community (SADC) task force to quell an internal uprising in Lesotho. Botswana withdrew its contingent when the situation was thought to be sufficiently stable not to require their presence. To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

Equipment

In 2001, Botswana's forces consisted of:

FV101 Scorpion (incl variants) light tank - 36

SK-105 Kuerassier light tank - 50

V-150 Commando - 12

BTR-60 armoured personnel carrier - 30

FV103 Spartan armoured personnel carrier - 6

RAM-V-2 armoured personnel carrier - 8

L118 Light Gun 105 mm towed howitzer - 12

Model 56 pack towed artillery (105 mm) 6

Soltam (reported) towed artillery (155 mm)

Mortar (81 mm) - 12

M-43 Mortar (120 mm) - 6

TOW anti-tank missile launchers - 6

Carl Gustav recoilless rifle 84 mm - 30

M167 Vulcan air defence gun 20 mm - 7

SA-7 Grail portable surface-to-air missile launchers - 12

SA-16 portable surface-to-air missile launchers - 10

Javelin surface-to-air missile launchers - 6

The FV101 Scorpion is a modern British light tank, part of the Combat Vehicle Reconnaissance (Tracked) or, CVR(T) family. ... The BTR-60 is the first vehicle in a series of Soviet eight-wheeled armoured personnel carriers. ... FV103 Spartan is a British Army armoured personnel carrier. ... An Australian L118 Hamel gun during a training exercise The L118 Light Gun is a 105 mm towed howitzer, originally produced for the British Army in the 1970s and widely exported since, including to the United States, where a modified version is known as the M119A1. ... A TOW missile being fired from a Jeep. ... Carl Gustav recoilless rifle The Carl Gustav is the common name for the 84mm recoilless rifle anti-tank weapon from the Carl Gustav company in Sweden. ... The M167 VADS Vulcan Air Defense System, which has been withdrawn from service, was a towed short-range air defense gun intended to protect forward area combat elements and rear area critical assets. ... A soldier posing with a Strela launcher. ... The 9K38 Igla (Russian 9К38 Игла́ – needle, NATO reporting name SA-18 Grouse) is a Russian/Soviet man-portable infrared homing surface-to-air missile (SAM) system. ... A triple Javelin missile launcher Javelin is a British man-portable surface-to-air missile, used by the British Army and Canadian Army. ...

Training

IMET (International Military Education and Training) funds from the USA remain important to Botswana’s officer training programme. Over 30 Botswana officers receive military training in the US each year; by 1999 approximately 85% of the BDF officers are said to have been trained under this system.

See also

• Botswana
• Botswana Defence Force XI

Botswana Defence Force XI is a football club from Botswana based in Gaborone. ...

External links

• Institute for Security Studies: Botswana Note: although generally a good source, this site wrongly describes Fisher as "Major General", and misspells his given name "Matshenwenyego".
• "Army Commander Accused Of Abuse" Mmegi Online 7 November 2005. Retrieved 25 February 2006. Example of correct title and spelling of commander's name.