Kagame witnesses 3rd edition of Combined Arms Field Training Exercise

This year’s edition, the third of its kind, of Combined Arms Field Training Exercise was done under the theme “Hard Punch.”

The exercises were carried out as army officers displayed how small and big weapons are used for reinforcement of the army units fighting the enemy at the battlefield.

Weapons used by the air force, land arms and marine arms were all put on a show.

Recounting his previous battles that were won by sheer determination, President Kagame said capacity is far way beyond having military materiel. “We used to go to the battlefield with 10 bullets in our guns, our enemies had maybe 100. But to win the war, you do not need 100 bullets. When the bullets are done, you are the one left standing to accomplish the mission.”

“I also want to thank you because this job you have chosen of protecting citizens, requires more from you than what you are given, in terms of salary or means available to us but it does not stop you from doing the work we do. You work under the sun, the rain, in the middle of forests and different environments and we ask ourselves whether what we give you is enough. The answer is that it can never be enough because this job goes beyond the individual, it is for the nation. What we do requires of us more than we have but it means that every resource we have is used to deliver to our maximum ability. Every bullet you shoot counts. Every resource you use must accomplish its purposes. We do not have room to waste. We have to deliver results beyond the resources we have. Nothing is impossible as long as we have the right mindset and values. Our enemies can only wish us ill but they will never be able to defeat us. Anyone who dares to threaten our security will fail.” He noted

President Kagame further commended Rwanda’s armed forces strength, saying that “Anyone who dares to threaten our security will fail”.

The trainings were given to army officers in the Rwanda Defence Force 3rd Division whose headquarters are in Gisenyi, Rubavu District representing the RDF Northern/Western regional command of which Commander is Maj. Gen. Alex Kagame.

Last year’s edition of the combined arms field training exercise- which was the second- was held on November 10, 2017, presided over by President Kagame and it was followed by his meeting with RDF senior officials, representatives of other security organs, and militaries who had undergone that exercise.

Kagame told them that the exercises are among activities of RDF done in order to build capacity and professionalism so achieve its mission.

The first edition of the exercise was also held at Gabiro Combat Training Centre on November 5, 2016.