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Germany supports construction of Central Mission Support Element at Osona Military Base
Ambassador Herbert Beck, (2nd from left), Hon. Dep. Minister of Defense, (Hilma Nicanor, (3rd from left) Hon. Chief of Defense, Air Marshall Martin Pinehas (4th from left), Commander of the Military School, BrigGen K.E. Kashindi, (on right)., © German Embassy, Windhoek
The Support Element, consisting of teaching rooms and multi-faculty training workshops, a workshop for medical technology and several workshops for cars and trucks, was built from 2017 to 2019.
The German Ambassador to Namibia, Herbert Beck, officially handed over the Central Mission Support Element (CMSE) to the Deputy Minister of Defense Hon. Hilma Nicanor at the Military School at Osona Military Base on 9 December 2020. The Support Element, consisting of teaching rooms and multi-faculty training workshops, a workshop for medical technology and several workshops for cars and trucks, was built from 2017 to 2019. The construction was supported by the Equipment Aid Programme of the Federal German Government implemented by the German Armed Forces Technical Advisory Group with 60 million N$ (approx. 3.6 million €), the equipment of teaching rooms and workshops was funded with additional 9.3 million N$ (approx. 600,000 €)
Starting from early 2021, the Namibian Defense Forces (NDF) will carry out certified training in the newly built facilities for civilian professions such as bricklayer, carpenter, electrician, plumber, welder, fitter and air conditioning technician. Expertise in these fields will allow NDF to repair and maintain a large range of military equipment and to establish its own infrastructure. Furthermore, staff and material will be prepared for future possible deployments to international missions for disaster response and peace missions at UN, AU or SADC level.
In addition, the workshop for medical technology is planned to be expanded and will then be the only reconditioning hub for medical technology in the NDF.
German Ambassador Herbert Beck remarked during the ceremony:
Since taking over my duties as German Ambassador to Namibia I have followed the progress of the CMSE project, as well as that of the Mobile Field Hospital very closely and I would like to recognize today the dedicated work and outstanding commitment of GAFTAG, its commanding officer Lt. Col. Lutz Beirich, as well as his entire team.
The Mobile Field Hospital, as well as the Central Mission Support Element, aim at empowering the Namibian Armed Forces to be deployed in future to international peace missions, including disaster response missions at UN, AU and SADC level. During the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic the Mobile Field Hospital has proven its usefulness also within Namibia.
Background information:
With its Equipment Aid Programme, the German Federal Government has been actively promoting independent peacekeeping capacities in selected African partner countries for more than four decades. Namibia has been a partner country since 1992. So far, equipment assistance agreements worth more than 30 million € have been concluded with Namibia. The projects implemented include, amongst others, the establishment of a mobile field hospital and an ammunition disposal plant