Gabiro, 11 December 2018
President Kagame and Commander-in-Chief of the Rwanda Defence Force today presided over the conclusion of the final phase of the annual Combined Arms Field Training Exercise at RDFCombat Training Centre in Gabiro, Gatsibo District. The event was marked by a demonstration of how different military capabilities are integrated and synchronized during a military operation at the level of an Infantry Division.
In his interaction with members of the RDF, President Kagame expressed his gratitude to the RDF for guaranteeing Rwanda’s security and safety.
“Your dedication and bravery are what gives our citizens safety and the reason we are here today. 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 salaries or means or other means availed to you. But that doesn’s stop you from doing the work you 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,” President Kagame said.
The President further highlighted that nothing is impossible as long as Rwandans, and members of the RDF in particular, have the right mindset and values.
“What we do requires us more than we have but it also means that every resource 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,” President Kagame said.
The exercise is aimed at perfecting drills that are necessary for efficient employment, harbouring, the occupation of positions, movement of Division troops/equipment, and cooperation of all arms in any military operational situation.
This is the third edition of the annual Field Training Exercise conducted at CTC Gabiro. The last one was held on 10 November 2017.