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Gambia News: Gambian troops complete BMATT Peace Support training
For the third time this year the Royal Gibraltar Regiment has led British defence diplomacy efforts in Central Africa through its BMATT deployment to The Gambia. The aim of the BMATT was to train the Gambian Armed Forces in Peace Support Operations prior to their deployment to the troubled region of Darfur in Sudan. The Gambia provides a large number of troops in Darfur which predominantly take care of force protection as directed by the African Union. The recent BMATT provided for some very necessary training prior to their imminent deployment.
The team was led by Captain Gareth Flower who throughout the BMATT was responsible for maintaining the important diplomatic relations the Royal Gibraltar Regiment has established in The Gambia with political dignitaries such as the British High Commissioner to The Gambia, and national high ranking military figures alike.
The overwhelming administration involved in such BMATTs was address by WO2 Raymond Grech who was responsible for the vast administrative requirements prior to deploying and the unpredictable administrative surprises that crop up when working in developing nations such as The Gambia. Assisting him on the logistics of the deployment was Cpl Damian Mauro who put in a monumental effort in clearing out the BMATTs container store, which was no mean feat considering the blistering heat.
The training itself was drafted by the leading Training SNCO, CSgt Chris Ghio. The programme was intense and particularly aimed at Peace Support Operations which will be the main emphasis of the troops’ deployment. The training team was selected in order to guarantee the best instruction for the Gambian troops and was made up of Lt Charles Bonfante, CSgt Andy Rodriguez, Sgt Dean Castrey and Cpls Patrick Canepa and Johnny Pincho. The Gambian troops were extremely happy with the training they had received, much of which was all new to them, however, the programme was geared at progressing from the foundation that had been laid down by previous BMATTs and proved to be a great success. The training involved periods of theoretical instruction which were followed with extensive practical practice periods, finally ending in Battle Exercises by way of confirmation. It all culminated in a two day exercise where the training team stepped back from its teaching role and adopted a more robust assessing stance by which the Gambian troops were tested on all the core skills they had been taught.
Despite the volatile weather, which changed from relentless sunshine to piercing rain in a matter of seconds, the Gambian troops received thorough, specialised training in an efficient and professional manner. There is no doubt that the Gambian Armed Forces has certainly advanced considerably in their knowledge of Peace Support Operations thanks to the BMATT effort.
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