A five-day seminar on civil-military relationship sponsored by the US Embassy through the bilateral military co-operation, commenced yesterday at the Gambia Armed Forces Joint Officers’ Mess.

In a speech on civil-military relations delivered at the opening, Brigadier-General Lang Tombong Tamba, the Chief of Defence Staff of The Gambia Armed Forces, expressed the delight of the entire Gambia Armed Forces in hosting what was described as a rear opportunity, noting that the seminar underscores GAF’s determination as a military institution as well as their commitment to the establishment and maintenance of good civil-military relationship.

In BG Tamba’s view, this seminar will bridge the gap between the civilians and the military and help build a bond within The Gambia.

“As we might have been aware, this seminar is expected to increase our level of mutual understanding about who is who and what are the expectations from one another as military and civilians living in one society,” he said.

He added: “It is very important we all understand that one of the roles of the military in times of peace is to assist the civil populace on request and it is during such times that the relationship is established and fortified.
“It is therefore a challenge for all of us, the armed and security services, the politicians and legislature to work untiringly to encourage and bring sustainable cooperation and apparently bring civil-military cooperation.”

The CDS further intimated that civil-military relations have blossomed to an appreciable level, as opposed to the situation few years ago when it was at an all time low, to a point that it was the subject of lead stories in local newspapers.

In conclusion, he urged the entire citizenry to subject themselves to what he called the imperatives of dialogue, tolerance, discipline, professionalism and openness as some of the ways to encourage civil-military cooperation.

For her part, Lange Schermerchorm, the Charge d’Affaires at the US Embassy, commented on how The Gambia and the whole of West Africa are affected and reformed by globalization. “In the security arena as well, we are witnessing dramatic changes-sometimes referred to as the “revolution in military affairs which has many facets. One characteristic is the multinational approach to many of today’s security challenges,” she observed.