Botswana Ground Force

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

Chiefs of the Defence Staff Ground Force (1977–present) 
The former heads of the Botswana Ground Force Armed Forces were referred to while in office as either General Officers Commanding or Chiefs of the Defence Staff.  The current Commander-in-Chief is Ian Khama. 

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 (retired and former Vice President of the Republic of Botswana (now deceased)) became its first Commander.  The former 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 security 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 BDF is Mokgweetsi Masisi, the current President of Botswana.  Answering to him is Lieutenant General Placid Segokgo. 

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 battalions
 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 BDF 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. 

Small arms

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)
 Browning M-2 (USA)

Anti materiel rifle
 Barrett M82 (United States)

Armoured vehicles
 ~30 × Steyr  SK-105 Kürassier light tank 105mm (Austria)
 2 × Steyr  SK105 4K7-FA recovery tank (Austria)
 Unknown number of M578 Light Recovery Vehicles
 25 × Alvis FV101 Scorpion light tank (UK/Belgium)
 64 × Panhard Véhicule Blindé Léger (France)
 50 × MOWAG Piranha III-C 8x8 APC (Switzerland)
 50 × V-150 Cadillac Gage Commando amphibious armored car (United States) (Some equipped with 90mm guns and BGM-71 TOW launchers)
 50 × BTR-60 8x8 APC (USSR)
 6 × FV103 Spartan APC  (United Kingdom)
 10 × Shorland armoured car (United Kingdom)
 ACMAT TPK 420 BL 4x4 troop carrier (France)
8 × Ramta RAMV-2 4x4 APC (Israel)

Note: 54 Leopard 1A3 tanks were apparently under negotiation for purchase from the Netherlands in 1996, but the deal never went through and no tanks were delivered.''' 
Ministry of Defence of Botswana  has recently ordered 45 Piranha 8×8 armoured vehicles made by General Dynamics Switzerland. 

Anti-tank weapons

 RPG-7 rocket propelled grenade (Russia)
 MBDA Milan ER (France \ Germany) anti-tank guised missile
200x LAW Mk-80 (UK)
6-10 × BGM-71 TOW anti-tank guided missile launchers (United States) 
50x M-40 recoilless rifle (USA)
30 × Bofors Carl Gustav recoilless rifle (Sweden)

Artillery
 12 × Soltam M-71 155mm towed howitzer (Israel)
 12 × L118 Light Gun 105mm towed howitzer (United Kingdom)
 6 × OTO Melara Mod 56 105mm pack howitzer (Italy)
 6 × M43 120mm mortar (Russia)
 22 × L16 81mm mortar (United Kingdom)
 20 × Aerostar SA APRA-40 120mm multiple launch rocket system (Romania)

Anti-aircraft weapons
  MBDA Atlas Mistral VSHORAD (France)
 MBDA VL MICA SHORAD (France)
 6 × Javelin MANPAD launchers
 10 × 9K38 Igla (SA-16 Gimlet) MANPAD launchers (Russia)
 7 × M167 anti-aircraft gun
 12 × Strela 2 (SA-7a Grail) MANPAD launchers (Russia)

River-wing equipment
 2 × Boston Whaler Raider-class PCs (United States)
 15 × Panther airboats (United States)

Notes

Citations

References
 
 
 

Botswana
Category:Military of Botswana
Category:Military units and formations established in 1977
Category:1977 establishments in Botswana