African militaries play crucial role in COVID-19 battle
Ghana, Senegal and Uganda have decided to deploy military field hospitals to support their national responses to the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak.
It comes after US Africa Command (USAFRICOM) provided extensive medical training and equipment to the three nations in 2019 including setting up these hospitals.
Rwanda also received the same training and support but has not announced the deployment of its UN-standard Level 2 hospitals.
The military training formed part of a wider programme known as the African Peacekeeping Rapid Response Partnership and was funded by the US State Department.
USAF Lt Gen James Vechery, Deputy Commander at USAFRICOM, said: ‘As we work shoulder to shoulder, it is exciting to see our African partners putting the capabilities we’ve developed over the past few years to such great use during this global pandemic.’
Each hospital includes 14 shelters covering 7,426ft2, with an ICU, a radiology unit and 20 beds.
More from Defence Notes
-
![Ukraine turns legacy Kongsberg land turrets into semi-autonomous USV weapons]()
Ukraine turns legacy Kongsberg land turrets into semi-autonomous USV weapons
The company told Shephard that Ukraine is operating modified Protector weapon stations originally supplied for armoured vehicles, with human operators authorising engagements from hundreds of kilometres away.
-
![UK urged to prioritise sea, air and space over heavy armour]()
UK urged to prioritise sea, air and space over heavy armour
A report from the Council on Geostrategy argues the UK should move away from a traditional balanced force and shift investment to naval, air and space capabilities, backed by a larger fleet of attack submarines and deeper AUKUS integration.
-
![Thales: deployment speed to determine winners in ‘production versus production’ era]()
Thales: deployment speed to determine winners in ‘production versus production’ era
At its technology summit in London, attended by Shephard, Thales UK examined the importance of speed to delivery, the growing focus on cross-domain capabilities and how procurement reform could be crucial for future battlefield advantage.
-
![Orchestrating operational readiness across every defence domain]()
Orchestrating operational readiness across every defence domain
Are all systems ready for the next mission? Have upgrades been applied? Are all assets aligned to deploy together, on time and fully prepared? In modern defence operations, readiness is no longer measured platform by platform. It is measured by how well people, assets, data and decisions move together — across land, sea and air.
