Danish Naval Chief of Staff Visits EASF

The Danish Naval Chief of Staff Rear Admiral Torben Mikkelsen led a delegation of military officers during a visit to the EASF Secretariat in Karen, Nairobi on 20th June 2018.  During the meeting, the EASF Director Dr. Abdillahi Omar Bouh outlined to the guests the numerous

milestones the Standby Force has achieved ever since its inception in 2004.

Exactly ten years after its establishment, EASF attained Full Operational Capability (FOC) Status in December 2014 and was the first regional peace-keeper to be selected by the African Union as the Continental Standby Force from January to June 2017. This meant that EASF could have been called upon anytime during that period to roll out Peace Support Operations (PSOs) anywhere on the African continent.

The FOC status has been harnessed through continuous capacity building efforts and regular exercises which are meant to ensure that EASF remains ready should the need for intervention to contain crises arise at any given time. Most of the capacity building efforts are supported by Friends and Partners of EASF; this is an area in which the Government of the Kingdom of Denmark has made a remarkable footprint.

Together with the United Kingdom, the Danish Government procured a Forward Force Headquarters' start-up kit in December 2015 comprising tented accommodation and office facilities for EASF. In 2017, the two countries teamed up to provide the Standby Force with modern communications equipment. During the year 2018, Denmark and United Kingdom are once again procuring satellite communications equipment for EASF.

The Danish delegation during the meeting also included the Chair of Friends of EASF, Colonel Joern Rasmussen, the Assistant Deputy Permanent Secretary of Security and Policy, Colonel Ulrich and the Technical Advisor to EASF Colonel Claus Pedersen among others. Dr. Bouh's team included Head of Peace Operations' Department Brigadier Albert Kendagor, Head of Finance and Administration Colonel Letebrhan Kahsay and Acting Joint Chief of Staff, Colonel Jean Muhirwa.

 Photo Gallery: Danish Naval Chief of Staff Visits EASF