Ethiopia has been initiating military cooperation with many African countries like Uganda, Kenya and the like. This cooperation would play an indispensable role in helping countries their military muscles towards contributing a great deal to the peace and stability of the continent. Moreover, this bold move helps them curb challenges and varied hurdles thrown from common foes.
Unequivocally, reinvigorating military-to-military contacts and develop close ties with the soldierly forces of various nations, especially with neighboring ones, is of paramount importance in building confidence and enhancing security and tranquility of the region. Yes, the Ethiopian military forces have been contributing a lot to regional peace and stability. Of course, peacetime military diplomacy needs to be developed as one of the main and continuous peacetime activities in support of foreign and security policy objectives aimed at maintaining peace, establishing mutual trust, developing collaboration and enhancing durability and security in the region.
It is well comprehended that professional military interaction creates the linkages which help build a climate of common understanding in the international environment to face challenges together. Not only does such viable cooperation amount to a military alliance but it also sets up the foundations for a contingency of military inter-operability between/among nations. Ethiopian military, on account of its vast expertise of operating in varied terrains, has been proved effective and highly preferable these days.
Without a shadow of doubt, military cooperation can help countries protect themselves from external threats, manage conflict with other countries, understand a potential adversary’s strengths and weaknesses, and how they might use their military force in a crisis as well as build trust with partner countries.
Cognizant of the fact that military cooperation can help improve the skills of personnel and promote human security and develop conditions for societies to transition back to peaceful and stable structures, Ethiopian and many other nations have enjoyed setting up this firm cooperation. If truth be told, forming military alliances is significantly useful in protecting themselves, improving ties with another nation, and managing conflict as it would confidently provide them with equipment, military personnel as well as the required supplies thereby making countries capable of defending themselves from common foes.
The best approach to the prevention of confrontation between/among countries is to identify of common interests and to widen cooperation between them in diverse fields, particularly in military scope.
Obvious, an important component of security cooperation is the military cooperation among the states of the continent. Apparently, growth and development and security go hand-in-hand. That is why the African countries, following Ethiopia’s initiation, have well embarked on their military cooperation.
Most of these issues transcend borders or even providing easy movement in and out of countries so that government will have to tackle them together coming on a common platform and continent has already shown the way. A good example is this military cooperation.
In sum, continent’s critical role in maintaining national security and the ability to muster assets and capabilities is assumed by the military. Most definitely, a defense relationship can be an important part of the broader pattern of relations among countries, as well as a sign of the maturing of the broader bilateral or trilateral relationship. What countries are doing, and will do together in the area of defense can indicate the level of trust they have developed in each other’s strategic intentions and sovereign grade. Military relationships can also enable nations to influence and understand in both directions. Military cooperation can be important for confidence building because it enables nations to strengthen capacity and make armed force ground well founded. All in all, defense relationships increase understanding on both sides as to how either country might use its military forces in a crisis and at a peacetime military diplomacy.
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD TUESDAY 17 DECEMBER 2024
