 Commander, Lieutenant General Colin Barry, has reaffirmed continued support towards peace){kind=link}
Zambia: The Zambia Air Force (ZAF) Commander, Lieutenant General Colin Barry, has reaffirmed continued support towards peace and stability in the region.
Gen Barry said this during the courtesy call paid on him by the American Capstone delegation led by General Thomas D Waldhauser (rtd).
The ZAF Commander cited ZAFs efforts and contributions in the Southern African Development Community Mission In Mozambique (SAMIM), stating that the ZAF provided both a military contingent and the C-27 aircraft to provide airlift and logistical support to the SAMIM as part of the efforts to establish peace and security in Northern Mozambique.
He explained that ZAF faced unique challenges requiring unique homegrown solutions. He said the Air Force had continued to address non-traditional threats such as flooding and other common threats such as smuggling and cross border threats.
Lt Gen Barry said the Air Force had in the past conducted humanitarian operations in Mozambique, Tanzania, Malawi and Zimbabwe following floods in those countries.
He went on to say that as Zambia took over the Chairmanship of SADC, the approach would shift more towards logistical and humanitarian support.
Lt. Gen Barry was pleased with the cordial relationship Zambia and the US continue to enjoy, and he welcomed the continued interactions in the area of training, saying it was of immediate benefit to the Air Force.
And in his reciprocal remarks, Gen Waldhauser (rtd) highlighted that the American Capstone was a training program designed to broaden newly promoted Senior Officers’ understanding of how joint military operations and strategies operate in the field to achieve peace and stability.
He stated that the programme allowed the nominated officers to understand the unique challenges and unique solutions various regions faced and employed.
Gen Waldhauser also pointed out that the Air Force would benefit greatly from collaboration with the AFRICOM in addressing some of the challenges faced.
In closing, the ZAF Commander welcomed increased training programs focused on peace operations deployment, flight safety, aircraft investigation, and best practices, among others building capacity to serve respective nations better.