Botswana Defense Force official visits North Carolina Marines

CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. — Maj. Gen. Otisitswe B. Tiroyamodimo, deputy commander of the Botswana Defense Force, visited with Marines in North Carolina, Sept. 30, as part of a multi-stop tour of the U.S. military's installations.

According to a II Marine Expeditionary Force official, Tiroyamodimo's visit comes at a time when the BDF is looking at ways to improve its defense capabilities to better accommodate their mission in today's world.

Tiroyamodimo, his wife, and a small delegation of senior BDF officers arrived early in the morning at Marine Corps Air Station New River, N.C., where they were met by Lt. Gen. Dennis J. Hejlik, commanding general, II MEF. After a short meeting where the generals discussed the visit, they moved on to view a static display of the AH-1W Super Cobra attack helicopter and the RQ-7 unmanned aerial vehicle.

One of the most pressing questions that Tiroyamodimo had about the helicopter and UAV was the cost of equipment maintenance and operation, which led to discussions on the viability of future use of such equipment by the BDF.

Lt. Col. Brent W. Bien, commanding officer , Marine Light/Attack Helicopter Squadron 167, presented the Super Cobra to the delegation and pointed out its advanced capabilities and features, including its infrared detection, weapons and night vision capabilities.

When Tiroyamodimo asked about the helicopters capabilities, Hejlik responded, "It's our best friend."

Once the presentations concluded the party visited Camp Johnson, N.C., the site of the Marine Corp's Staff Non-commissioned Officer Academy where NCOs and SNCOs from the rank of corporal to gunnery sergeant attend courses to refine their warfighting and leadership skills.

At the school, Tiroyamodimo and his staff observed a portion of the Corporal's Course, which is the first formal step in educating Marine enlisted leaders.

According to Sgt. Maj. Todd M. Parisi, the director of the academy, the methods used by the school could benefit the BDF by providing NCOs and SNCOs from all occupational specialties with a learning environment that generates teamwork and continuing military education.

"The great part of the academy is the camaraderie," Parisi explained, commenting on the importance of professional military education. "We have a very formal institution on how we train. Any force would want to focus on individual ranks."

The academy graduates around 3,500 students a year.

Col. Mpho Mophuting, the acting commandant of the BDF Force Training Establishment, showed great interest in the academy and took copious notes on the curriculum and training process used by the Marine Corps.

After a lunch with several key leaders from II MEF and Marine Special Operations Command, including Brig. Gen. Juan G. Ayala, commanding general, 2nd Marine Logistics Group, and Maj. Gen. Mastin M. Robeson, commanding general, MARSOC, the party moved on to a section of Camp Lejeune called Stone Bay, which will soon be the home of MARSOC.

Robeson led the party through a tour of the newly constructed MARSOC headquarters building, as well as some of the command's other assets including their language training facility, close-quarters battle building and demolitions range.

After meeting with Marines from MARSOC and discussing experiences each had encountered while training foreign militaries in Africa, the party moved on to a demonstration of the MV-22 Osprey, a tilt-rotor aircraft that recently began replacing the Marine Corps' fleet of Vietnam-era CH-46 Sea Knight helicopters.

In the deafening noise of the aircraft, smiles could be seen as the officers were flown to a height of about 15, 000 feet over the Atlantic Ocean and N.C. coast before returning to New River and the conclusion of the tour.

While Tiroyamodimo conducted his tour of the Marine Corps' warfighting and educational assets, his wife Elizabeth received a separate tour that provided her a glimpse of the family life aboard Camp Lejeune. Mrs. Tiroyamodimo's visit to base housing, the Naval hospital, a primary school, and the child development center combined with a number of briefs covering family support services gave her an idea of how the Marine Corps takes care of its families.

The Tiroyamodimo's parallel tours provided them a glimpse of how the Marine Corps conducts war and maintains its family support network, and served to strengthen relationships between the two countries.

For more information on the II Marine Expeditionary Force, visit the unit's web site at www.iimefpublic.usmc.mil.