Defence Minister Lieutenant General Joseph Henry Smith on Monday, urged African states to collaborate their efforts, to enable them to effectively counter threats to peace, security and stability on the continent and globally.
He noted that changing trends in global security, particularly terrorism, drugs, small arms trafficking and disasters, which "knew no
borders", necessitated that, Africa formed a united front to "confront them decisively before they bring any destabilising situations on us".
"Our inaction today can be a recipe for disaster tomorrow.. Our children's future needs to be guaranteed and protected"
Lt Gen. Smith was speaking at the opening of the two-week 2010 Africa Endeavour (AE) military communications exercise at the Ghana Armed Forces
and Staff College at Teshie, near Accra.
The "Africa Endeavour" programme is a United States African Command (AFRICOM) initiated annual communications exercise, that focuses on
inter-operability and information sharing among African Militaries, to strengthen their communications capabilities.
The programme is aimed at increasing the capacity of the African Union and the Africa Standby Force to provide support for humanitarian missions and peace support operations.
Lt. Gen Smith said the continent should be guided by the belief that no one nation could build a better and safer world and that Ghana was committed to working together with all peace loving nations towards the realisation of peace and stability.
He lauded the Africa Endeavour exercise, touting it as initiatives that could harmonise the doctrines of sub-regional militaries, to ensure their inter-operability, one of the components to the realisation of peace and
stability.
The Defence Minister urged participants to commit themselves to formulating workable concepts of Command, Control and inter-operability
standards to support the employment of the African Standby Force.
Military representatives from 37 African countries and delegates from the AU, ECOWAS, European Union and the United States are taking part in the exercise.
The first Africa Endeavour was held in South Africa in 2006, the second in Nigeria in 2008 and the third in Gabon, 2009.
This year's exercise, aimed at building upon the successes of previous exercises, would showcase the operational relevance of "Africa Endeavour," and tackle networking fundamentals, server administration and management and core services of participating countries.