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CPLP: Special Troops Improve Joint Response Capacity

Angola Press Agency (Luanda)
NEWS
September 9, 2004
Posted to the web September 10, 2004
Luanda
The chief of Angola's commands and special troops, lieutenant-general Carvalho
Pereira "Meno´´, said Thursday, in Luanda, that the military training exercise
called operation "Feline 2004", to be held in Angola, aims at improving the
capability of joint military response of the member states of the Portuguese
Speaking Countries Community (CPLP).
The main objective of this exercise is the training, planning, organising and
improvement of military actions in the framework of aid operations to peace and
humanitarian effort, explained lieutenant-general Meno, while presiding at the
opening act of the final meeting of the Feline Exercise, to take place next
October 12-26 in Angola's northern Bengo province.
General Meno referred that the African continent, for still being in conflicts,
humanitarian disasters, poverty, diseases, precarious economy and a weak
democratic system, needs a greater attention in the field of peace-keeping and
humanitarian aid.
Currently, the world security is characterised, in one hand, for the existence
of a global threat and, on the other side, for the re-emerging of regional
conflicts, with the rising of aid operations for peace and humanitarian aid, he
underlined.
To the military officer, this deep change in the current international
political strategy forced the Government to re-examine and restructure the
methodology of the engagement of the Angolan Armed Forces.
In this combination, there will be practised the proceedings to be applied in
the peace operations, crisis management, guarding of humanitarian convoys,
watching posts, reconnaissance, manoeuvre with helicopters, security of high-
ranking entities, shooting and medical evacuation.
The exercise will count on the participation of troops from Angola, Brazil,
Cape-Verde, Mozambique, Portugal and São Tomé & Príncipe.
Guinea-Bissau and East Timor are absent.
The decision of the creation of Feline came from a proposal presented by
Portugal, during the first meeting of CPLP's Army Chiefs, held in May, 1999,
here.
In this fourth edition of Feline Exercise, each member country will be
represented by at least 20 soldiers, being Angola, in the capacity of host
country, to have 500 members from its special troops. The previous editions
were carried out in Portugal (2000 and 2001) and Brazil (2003).
The next exercise is due to take place in the West Africa archipelago of Cape
Verde.

   

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