An Cosantóir

16 | Bihanga Training Camp Sgt John Kearney during Checkpoint STX Trainingin by Lt Tomás Caulfield, MP Corps T he European Union (EU) has been providing a broad commitment in Somalia, helping to stabilise the country and strengthen its institutional framework through political engagement, support for security and development, and humanitarian aid. As part of this effort the European Union Training Mission Somalia (EUTM Somalia), in partnership with the Ugandan People's Defence Forces (UPDF), is providing the Somali National Armed Forces (SNAF) with restructuring assistance, in support of UN Resolution 1872 (2009). The EU Naval Force Somalia – Operation Atalanta was established as an EU Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) operation on 8 December 2008 to tackle the problem of piracy off the Somali coast. On 7 April 2010, the EU launched EUTM Somalia to contribute to the training of Somali security forces. This mission was primarily based in Uganda to facilitate co-ordination with the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM). Both missions are working together to build a viable and sustainable security sector through supporting the Somali police, military and maritime forces with training and capacity building. To date the EUTM has contributed to the training of over 3,000 Somali troops. In addition to basic training, EUTM Somali also began to provide specialised military training in Uganda. Between April and August 2013 this consisted of training company commanders, CIMIC personnel and Military Police, in Bihanga Training Camp (BTC). The next phase of mentoring, advising and training evaluation (MATE) is based in Mogadishu, with initial operational capability (IOC) being declared on 7 May this year. The BTC, commanded by Lt Col Frank Loose (Germany), is within the UPDF's Bihanga Training School, located in the western Ugandan district of Ibanda, 78km from the Demo- An Cosantóir February 2014 www.dfmagazine.ie cratic Republic of Congo, 48km from Rwanda and 40km from Tanzania. It is 270km from Kampala and due to poor road infrastructure the travel time by road from Uganda's capital is seven hours. BTC's location is ideally suited to training as there are several square kilometres of undulating terrain intersected with streams and rivers, open ground and wooded areas. Additional training facilities included two large- and four medium-sized classrooms and a FIBUA village. All training is conducted through the medium of English, EUTM's working language, with assistance provided by Kenyan interpreters where required. The military police training team (MPTT) consisted of two officers and six NCOs from Italy's Carabinieri Corps and one officer (the author) and two NCOs (Sgt John Kearney and Sgt Alan Smith) from Ireland. The team's experience covered a wide range of overseas combat, operational and training experience with NATO in Afghanistan, Bosnia, Iraq and Kosovo; with the EU in Bosnia, Chad and Haiti; and with the UN in Chad, Cyprus, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon and Liberia. Prior to the arrival of the Somali MP trainees the MPTT integrated seamlessly through a mixture of training, from weapons familiarisation and range practices, topographical FIBUA exercises, a combat life-saving course, completing the tests for the Leistungsabzeichen der Bundeswehr (the German Armed Forces badge for military proficiency), and team sports. This all assisted in acclimatising to the high equatorial temperatures and high humidity (up to 90%), and building team cohesion. The 15-week military police course undertaken by the

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