Kigali, Rwanda — The Eastern Africa Standby Force (EASF) has launched a major training exercise in Rwanda aimed at testing member states’ ability to transform plans and commitments into effective military operations, officials announced Monday.
EASF Director Brig. Gen. Ronald Rwivanga, speaking at the opening ceremony, emphasized that true military readiness extends beyond simply assembling forces.
“A force is not truly ready because it has been assembled. It is ready when it can deploy in time, arrive with the right capabilities, sustain itself in the operational environment, and accomplish its assigned mission,” Rwivanga said.
Logistics as Strategic Capability
The EASF director highlighted the critical role of logistics in modern peacekeeping and security operations, noting that coordination of personnel, equipment and supplies across member states is essential to mission success.
“In contemporary operations, logistics is not a supporting afterthought. It is a strategic capability, an operational multiplier, and, in many circumstances, the difference between mission success and mission failure,” he said.
The exercise will focus on scenarios reflecting the EASF’s core responsibilities, including force preparation and sustained support throughout deployment missions.
Readiness Evaluation Scheduled
Rwivanga revealed that Rwanda is scheduled for its next readiness evaluation from November 1 to 6. The EASF, which became operationally ready in 2014, regularly assesses member states by examining their military, police and civilian components against established readiness standards.
He stressed that joint exercises are essential for identifying operational gaps and ensuring interoperability among personnel from different countries.
“If you don’t do these exercises, then you don’t know the gaps, the critical gaps that are there during deployment,” Rwivanga said.
Regional Assets to Be Tested
A separate field exercise on humanitarian assistance and disaster support is planned for Kisumu, Kenya, next year. The exercise will test pledged regional assets, including Rwanda’s medical evacuation capabilities, Kenya’s reconnaissance assets and Ethiopia’s strategic airlift capacity.
Kenya’s High Commissioner to Rwanda, Janet Mwawasi Oben, underscored the importance of regional cooperation in addressing shared security challenges.
“Whether at great and complex emergencies, humanitarian crises, or emergency security threats, our collective ability to respond depends not only on the professionalism of our forces, but also on the strength of our logistical systems,” Oben said.
She noted that sustainable peace requires countries to work together through political engagement, diplomacy, defense cooperation and effective regional institutions.
Training Structure
Brig. Gen. Robert Kabage of Kenya, the exercise’s lead facilitator, said the program would begin with four days of training to establish common understanding among participants before proceeding to practical activities.
The exercise will employ interactive lectures, group discussions, simulations and question-and-answer sessions to assess the EASF’s ability to prepare forces and provide logistical support during deployment.
Kabage noted that the exercise forms part of broader African Union efforts to strengthen regional mechanisms capable of responding to conflicts and preventing crises from escalating.
The exercise is expected to produce recommendations for improving logistical planning, coordination and operational preparedness among EASF member states.
