69 Airborne Force

Brief History of The 69 Airborne Force

The history of the ABF dates back to 1961 when the Airborne Training School (ATS) was established at old Tamale Airport. The roles assigned to ATS were firstly to train military personnel in para jumping techniques and to develop air supply techniques. The first OC was Sqn Ldr Brieley, who along with 3 NCOs were seconded from the Royal Airforce (RAF) as PJIs and QM. On 16 Sep 1961, 4 Ghanaian Officers and 9 NCOs were the first to be posted to the school after completing a PJI course in the UK. On 14 Jun 1962, the first live para descent in Ghana was conducted at Kumbugu Dropping Zone and about two weeks later a demonstration in live descent and supply drops was staged at Ghana Military Academy. The dignitaries included the then President of Ghana, Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah. The first para course was organised for 3 Officers and 23 men and they passed out on 10 Aug 1962 after 7 weeks of training.

With the increase in strength of qualified parachutists (523 by end of Sep 1962), on 11 Apr 1963 authority was given for the formation of a para Bn. It began with a Coy co-located with the ATS. By 1966, 3 para Coys had been formed and were moved from the old airport to Kaladan Barracks and separated from ATS, though they continued to use the same facilities. In 1969, the para Bn moved to Kamina Barracks and ATS was brought under command as a training Coy. With the increasing use of sophisticated surveillance devices to detect troop movement and the need to achieve surprise in battle, countries have experimented with small but highly trained and equipped troops capable of beating most of these surveillance devices and moving fast into operational theatres for results.

Examples are the marines, legion, commandos and SAS. Officially, this was the reason given by the Government of the Second Republic when the para Bn was disbanded and the Airborne Force (ABF), with a far lesser strength, established on 10 Oct 1970. The unit was to specialise in commando and counter-terrorist operations. It was re-located to Barwah Barracks and co-located with the Airforce. It was also placed under Army HQ for Operational Control and HQ 2 Bde for Administrative Control. The Establishment Order Number Army/1/1 dated 10 Oct 1970 was approved for implementation with effect from 15 Jan 1971.

Roles

The roles of the ABF can be discussed under three headings: Operational Role, Parachute Training, and Ceremonial/Sports Parachuting.

1. Operational Role

All troops of ABF are trained as parachutists and specialised as Commandos to perform the following functions:

• Seize and hold lightly held enemy positions for limited periods or until link-up
• Raids to disrupt enemy supply lines or HQs, destroy vital installations or capture individuals
• Harass and destroy communications
• Carry out deep reconnaissance
• Track and destroy guerillas or enemy raiding parties in COIN operations
• Assist in Internal Security operations (Unit has responsibility for Upper East and West Regions)
• Be prepared to supplement the efforts of Infantry Battalions in conventional warfare

2. Parachute Training

• Development of training methods and training equipment
• Conduct basic para training for personnel of the GAF
• Organise continuation and refresher training for trained parachutists
• Train PJIs and other auxiliary instructors for basic para training, continuation training, airborne assaults and equipment and supply drops
• Conduct aerial delivery including free drop of stores and equipment to support troops already inserted by air
• Train personnel of other units in loading, aircraft drills, Air Transport Liaison Officers duties, Unit Emplaning Officers and Dropping Zone Safety Officer's duties

3. Ceremonial / Sports Parachuting

• Precision Jumps
• Delayed Free Fall Jumps
• Sport Competitions

It must be made clear that although ABF troops are supposed to be Commando trained, except for the toughness imbued into students during the pre-para phase of the course, this aspect has not been part of the training package for a long time. Most of the unit's training is geared towards conventional training and para training for unit personnel, Officer Cadets and recently other young soldiers. Free fall and supply drops are seldom done because of the lack of enough and appropriate parachutes. Recently the unit has also begun training its own PJIs, Riggers and Pathfinders.

ORBAT

The unit has an operating ORBAT and a proposed one, which should have been approved more than 10 years ago but for the lack of both human and material resources to meet the proposal, it has not yet been approved. In 2003, the unit was asked to make another proposal but this is also yet to be approved. The reason for proposing a new ORBAT is as follows:

• To generally conform to plans to expand the GAF
• Meet the roles assigned the unit when it was established and the ever-growing tasks received from higher HQ