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The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) of the Ghana Armed Forces, Thomas Oppong-Peprah has been promoted to the rank of a 4-Star General, the first time Ghana is having such a rank leading the GAF.
General Oppong-Peprah therefore becomes the first in the history of the Ghana Armed Forces.
The Ghana Armed Forces has witnessed a recent expansion with more commands created necessitating the promotion of the Chief of Defence Staff to the rank of a 4-Star General in line with international military norms.
The GAF has always been led by a 3-Star General, that is a Lieutenant General or equivalent in the Navy or Air Force.
The GAF has expanded and now has the Support Service Brigade, Southern Command, Central Command, Northern Command and Recce Brigade, indicating one of the biggest achievements of the Ghana Armed Forces in recent times.
Following that the Chiefs of Army Staff, Navy Staff, Air Staff, and the Chief of Staff at the General Headquarters have also been promoted to the rank of Lieutenant General (3-Star) or its equivalent.
President Akufo-Addo's announcement
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo made this known in his last message on the State of the Nation in Parliament on Friday (Jan 3, 2025).
"In line with our commitment to aligning with international military norms and enhancing the authority of our top military officials, I am pleased, as Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, to announce the elevation of the Chief of the Defence Staff (CDS) to the rank of General, and the Chiefs of Army Staff, Navy Staff, Air Staff, and the Chief of Staff at the General Headquarters to the rank of Lieutenant General or its equivalent."
"These promotions, alongside our successes in anti-terrorism programmes and cross-border security initiatives, position Ghana as a serious player in defence, and bolster our international partnerships in peacekeeping and security," President Akufo-Addo said.
Chief of Army Staff - Major General Bismarck Kwasi Onwona has now been promoted to rank of Lieutenant General
Chief of Air Staff - Air Vice Marshal Frederick Asare Kwasi Bekoe has now been promoted to rank of Air Marshal
Chief of Naval Staff - Rear Admiral Issah Adams Yakubu has now been promoted to rank of Vice Admiral
Field Marshal (5-Star): An honorary rank that has never been held by any officer in Ghana
General (4-Star): Commands an army - Thomas Oppong-Peprah is the first for this rank in Ghana Army
Lieutenant General (3-Star): Commands an army corps
Major General (2-Star): Commands a division
Brigadier General (1-Star): Commands a brigade
Colonel: Commands a regiment
Lieutenant Colonel: Commands a battalion
Major: Commands a company
Captain: Second in command to a major
Lieutenant: Commands a platoon or troop
2nd Lieutenant: Commands a platoon or troop, bridge the gap between enlisted soldiers and higher-ranking officers. It is a junior commissioned officer in the Ghana Army who leads small groups of soldiers, usually up to 30, in a platoon or troop.
Other ranks in the Ghana Army include:
The rank defines a soldier's job and responsibilities, and provides a clear career path. As soldiers rise through the ranks, they receive recognition and pay increases.
Thomas Oppong-Peprah was appointed as the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) of the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF), effective February 1, 2024.
It followed the completion of the tour of duty and subsequent retirement from the Ghana Armed Forces of Vice Admiral Seth Amoama, the then Chief of Defence Staff.
Major General Bismarck Kwasi Onwona was appointed as the Chief of Army Staff, in succession to Thomas Oppong-Peprah.
With the January 3, 2025 announcement, Major General Bismarck Kwasi Onwona is now elevated to the rank of Lieutenant General.
This means Rear Admiral Issah Adams Yakubu and Air Vice Marshal Frederick Asare Kwasi Bekoe have also been elevated to the relevant ranks of Vice Admiral and Air Marshal in their various positions as Chief of Naval Staff and Chief of Air Staff respectively.
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Who is Major General Thomas Oppong-Peprah
Per his profile as published by the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF), Thomas Oppong-Peprah was commissioned into the Ghana Armed Forces in 1986 as part of Regular Career Course 26 and was posted to the Armoured Reconnaissance Regiment as a Second Lieutenant.
His civil educational qualifications include a Master of Arts in International Security and Strategy from Kings College, London (2013 to 2014) and an Executive Master of Business Administration (Human Resource Management) from University of Ghana, Legon (2006 to 2007).
He also has a Bachelor of Science degree in Administration (Human Resource Management) from the University of Ghana (1999 to 2004) and a Post-Graduate Certificate in Public Administration from Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (1998).
He has undertaken several career progression courses.
These include the Combined/Joint Forces Land Component Commanders Course at USA Army War College, Carlisle, Pennsylvania (April 2021); the Defence Studies at the Royal College of Defence, London, United Kingdom (2013 – 2014); Senior Intelligence Course at the Joint Intelligence Centre, Strasbourg, France (2010); Law of Combating Terrorism at the Defence Institute of International Legal Studies, Newport, Rhode Island, USA (2009); and Senior Command and Staff Course at the US Army Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, USA (2000-2001).
Other career progression courses undertaken are Senior Command and Staff Course at Ghana Armed Forces Command and Staff College, Accra (1998 to 1999); Junior Command and Staff Course at the Command and Staff College, Kaduna, Nigeria (1997); and Armour Officer Basic Course at the US Army Armour School, Fort Knox, Kentucky, USA (1996).
Appointments held in the course of his career include Aide-de-Camp to the Chief of the Army Staff and Chief of the Defence Staff, Ghana Armed Forces (1995 to 1997), and Operations/Training Officer, 64 Infantry Regiment, (1999 to 2000).
He became the Commanding Officer, 64 Infantry Regiment from 2002 to 2009, with additional appointment as Commanding Officer, Armoured Reconnaissance Regiment, (2004 to 2005).
He was also the Coordinator of State Transport Security (2001 to 2008) and Instructor, Disaster Management Course, Army Combat Training School, Teshie (2001 to 2005). Other appointments held are Director, Strategic Intelligence Assessment of the Defence Intelligence Department, General Headquarters (2009 to 2011) and Director Operations and Plans, Defence Industries Department, General Headquarters (2011 to 2013).
He also held the appointments of Director Army Training and Director Army Peacekeeping Operations at the Army Headquarters in Sep 14 to Feb 16 and Feb to Jul 16, respectively. He assumed the office of Chief Staff Officer at the same headquarters from Jul 16 to Feb 17.
Prior to his appointment as the Chief of Staff at the General Headquarters, he was the General Officer Commanding, Southern Command of the Ghana Army (Feb 17 to Jan 19). After being Chief of Staff at the General Headquarters for about a year, he was appointed the Chief of the Army Staff in March 2020, a position he currently holds.
In international peacekeeping operations, Maj Gen Oppong-Peprah served as Humanitarian Officer, United Nations Assistance Mission in Rwanda (June to December 1994); Military Observer, United Nations Aouzou Strip Observer Group in Libya/Chad (March to May 1994); G4 Transport and Plans, United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (1993) and Detachment Second-In- Command/Troop Leader, United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon/Israel (1987, 1989, 1992).
He is a board member of the Governing Council of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO).
He is married with five children. He enjoys horse riding, soccer, travelling, watching movies and jogging.
