By Kefiloe Kajane
The United Kingdom’s (UK) Defence adviser to Lesotho, Colonel Tristan Harris MBE, visited Maseru on July 21 -22 to meet with recently appointed minister of defence and national security, Halebonoe Setṧabi, to discuss bilateral defence engagement activity.
Lesotho and the UK signed a Defence Engagement Memorandum of Understanding in 2019. The UK has worked with the Lesotho Defense Force (LDF) to support security sector reform and Lesotho’s National Reform process in September 2019 through a 1-week joint UK-United States Security Sector Reform seminar. In January 2020, a team from the LDF visited the UK to view military equipment.
The statement by British High Commission Maseru said the visit also provided an opportunity to meet with private Rethabile Mohoase who has been selected to attend Commissioning Course 221 at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst that commences on September 20.
The statement also said that the highly sought after course is acknowledged as world class military training and the UK is pleased to fully fund a place for Lesotho in recognition of their close bilateral defence relationship. It stated that Mohoase will be the first member of the LDF to attend the course since 2006.
“The British High Commissioner to Lesotho, Anne Macro, presented academic books to the chief of defence staff, lieutenant general Mojalefa Letsoela to assist LDF staff training in the Defence College.
“While the Covid pandemic continues to make defence engagement challenging, the UK was delighted that three LDF Colonels participated in the Senior Strategic Leadership Programme virtual seminar on the July 13-14. The course enhances strategic leadership and management at both the corporate and strategic level across defence and the wider security sector,” the commission said.
