Botswana Ground Force

The Botswana Ground Force is the army of the country of Botswana, and the land component of the Botswana Defence Force.

History
The Botswana Defence Force was raised in April 1977 by an Act of Parliament called the 'BDF Act NO 13 of 1977. At its formation, Lieutenant General Mompati Merafhe (now retired and Vice President of the Republic of Botswana) became its first Commander. The current President of the Republic of Botswana, Lieutenant General Seretse Khama Ian Khama, then Brigadier, was the Deputy Commander. Unusually for an African military force, and chiefly attributable to its being founded after Botswana's independence, the Botswana Ground Force was not formed from colonial units formed by a colonising power, but rather were formed from the remains of the Botswana Mounted Police Unit, previously known as the Bechuanaland Mounted Police, a unit of the British South Africa Police.

The contemporary roles of the Defence Force are broad for a conventional military, suggesting that the government of Botswana and the BDF subscribe to a wide view of ‘security’ and consider the Defence Force an appropriate agency for attaining much of it, an issue that has been discussed even in the BDF’s own internal media. It is expected that the BDF in general is meant to be an apolitical instrument of the state.

The current stated mission of the Botswana Ground Force is: To defend the country and provide for the security of Botswana, participate in external security cooperation activities, and contribute in domestic support operations, with the aim of:
 * Ensuring national securirty and stability
 * Protecting the people and their properties
 * Protecting the constitution of Botswana to guarantee the rule of law
 * Defending Botswana's territorial integrity on land and in the air
 * Preserving Botswana as a free, independent and sovereign state
 * Aiding civil authorities in domestic support operations
 * Strengthening Botswana's international relations by participating in regional and international security cooperation activities

Structure and organisation
The commander-in-chief of the BGF is Ian Khama, the current President of Botswana. Answering to him are the Minister of Defence, Justice, and Security, Dikgakgamatso Seretse, and the Defence Council, and the Commander of the Botswana Defence Force, Lieutenant General Tebogo Masire.

The various units of the Botswana Ground Force are as follows:


 * 1st Armoured Brigade (Gaborone)
 * 1st Infantry Brigade (mechanised brigade at Gaborone)
 * 2nd Infantry Brigade (motorized brigade at Francistown)
 * 3rd Infantry Brigade (motorized brigade at Ghanzi)
 * 1st Commando Regiment (Gaborone)
 * Four independent infantry battalions
 * Two armored-artillery brigades
 * One combat engineering regiment
 * 1 air defense battalion
 * Army river-wing (including diving unit)

Ranks and insignia
The BGF and the Botswana Air Force maintain the same rank system, which is loosely based on British or Commonwealth rank systems. The ranks are as follows:

Enlisted:
 * Recruit
 * Private
 * Lance corporal
 * Corporal
 * Sergeant
 * Staff sergeant
 * Warrant officer II
 * Warrant officer I
 * Regiment/battalion sergeant major
 * Brigade sergeant major
 * Major command sergeant major
 * Force sergeant major

Officers:
 * Officer cadet
 * Junior under officer
 * Under officer
 * Senior under officer
 * Second lieutenant
 * Lieutenant
 * Captain
 * Major
 * Lieutenant colonel
 * Colonel
 * Brigadier
 * Major general
 * Lieutenant general

Equipment and vehicles
The BGF uses a wide array of modern weapons and vehicles. Its suppliers are Russia and Western nations, including Israel, Switzerland, the United States, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Austria, Belgium, Italy, and the United Kingdom.

Handguns

 * Browning Hi-Power (Belgium)

Assault rifles

 * FN FAL (Belgium)
 * IMI Galil (Israel)
 * AK-47 Kalashnikov (USSR/Russia)
 * AKM (USSR/China)

Submachine guns

 * Sterling submachine gun (United Kingdom)

Machine guns

 * FN MAG (Belgium)
 * Bren light machine gun (United Kingdom)
 * SGM (USSR/Russia)

Anti materiel rifle

 * Barrett M82 (United States)

Armoured vehicles

 * 50 × Steyr SK-105 Kürassier light tank 105mm (Austria)
 * 2 × Steyr SK105 4K7-FA recovery tank (Austria)
 * 36 × Alvis FV101 Scorpion light tank (UK/Belgium)
 * 50 × V-150 Cadillac Gage Commando amphibious armored car (United States)
 * 5 × FV103 Spartan APC (United Kingdom)
 * 10 × Shorland armoured car (United Kingdom)
 * 45 × MOWAG Piranha III-C 8x8 APC (Switzerland)
 * ACMAT TPK 420 BL 4x4 troop carrier (France)
 * 50 × BTR-60 8x8 APC (USSR)
 * 8 × Ramta RAMV-2 4x4 APC (Israel)

Note: 50 Leopard 1 tanks were apparently under negotiation for purchase from the Netherlands in 1996, but the deal never went through and no tanks were delivered.'''

Anti-tank weapons

 * RPG-7 rocket propelled grenade (Russia)
 * 6 × BGM-71 TOW anti-tank guided missile launchers (United States)
 * 40 × Bofors Carl Gustaf recoilless rifle (Sweden)

Artillery

 * 36 × L118 Light Gun 105mm towed howitzer (United Kingdom)
 * 6 × OTO Melara Mod 56 105mm pack howitzer (Italy)
 * 6 × M43 120mm mortar (Russia)
 * 6 × L16 81mm mortar (United Kingdom)
 * 20 × Aerostar SA 120mm multiple launch rocket system
 * 4 x Soltam M-71 155mm towed gun (Israel)

Anti-aircraft weapons

 * 12 × Strela 2 (SA-7a Grail) MANPAD launchers (Russia)
 * 50 × 9K38 Igla (SA-16 Gimlet) MANPAD launchers (Russia)
 * 6 × Javelin MANPAD launchers
 * 7 × M167 anti-aircraft gun

River-wing equipment

 * 2 × Boston Whaler Raider-class PCs (United States)
 * 15 × Panther airboats (United States)