EUTM Mali. A mission to extend (General Lecointre)
(BRUSSELS2) “ It will take more than an additional year in my opinion » before closing the mission and training the Malian army. This is what General Lecointre, head of the European training mission for Malian troops (EUTM Mali), pleaded before the ambassadors of the COPS (the Political and Security Committee) and the military representatives of the EU gathered within of the Military Committee. Before passing the baton to his successor (Read: EUTM Mali. A porpoise succeeds a porpoise), and after taking stock of the first six months of the mission — Read: Successes and shortcomings. Review of the first six months of EUTM Mali (Lecointre) —, the General took the opportunity to present the various recommendations of his report, concerning the future of the mission.
More time for more battalions
« My credo is that an action like this takes time. It is sometimes hard to convince public opinion, because of the zapping effect. The goal is therefore to convince, in particular thanks to journalists, that we cannot help sustainably in a single year, given the collapse of the army. he explains. To continue to help, General Lecointre proposes, " to extend for one year (the mission) and then see if we can extend for another year ". " We must at least add a year to form four additional battalions, that is to say the second half of the Malian army. And then consider adaptations. Why not with a decrease in the volume of the mission ».
“Pre-sales service”: training for section heads
“In terms of training, we have to start doing after and pre-sales service. “He insists strongly on” the level of section heads, which is particularly fragile ". " This is a level systematically present in the army and very important. In Mali, this level is low and it is subject to a lot of pressure he acknowledges. " It is at this level that we must re-establish the bond of trust. Beyond technical and tactical training, what made the Malian army fragile was the lack of trust. To overcome this defect, Lecointre proposes “ a preparation course, of three weeks or one month, to train these platoon leaders before training with the battalion ».
“After-sales service”: further training
« This will be a future COPS topic. Because we have to find a way to provide training beyond the ten weeks when the program is very dense and intensive. The idea is to continue training units over the long term. " After training, the battalion is deployed in the operational zone. And, there, he is watched by routine and boredom. These are real threats. “To fight against this” The goal is therefore to keep people under permanent operational tension by training the staffs with the battalion commanders ". Concretely, he proposes to second personnel to commanders or regularly send a team to verify training ».
Post-mission: a team of controllers
So that the work done is not wasted, " I imagine after the end of EUTM Mali, but also of EUTM Somalia, that the EU can create teams of controllers to certify the training work ". The principle is that of regular monitoring: go by appointment, on dates planned in advance, to pass a battery of operational tests to guide training ". " This kind of follow-up could be set up with the EU and ensure long-term vision and effectiveness.
Strengthen the audit component
Beyond the training itself, EUTM has an audit section, which participated in " the writing of texts for the Malian army, the doctrine of employment, the operational contracts between the services, the territorial framework... ". Proof that it works, the Malian Minister of Defense has just requested the participation of EUTM in the drafting commission on the defense programming law ". The audit part should also evolve, according to the General. " It must also set up project groups in phases of 4 or 5 months on a particular policy. For example human resources, logistics maintenance… »
“I am a soldier, I say things clearly”
Lecointre remains realistic about the impact of his proposals on decision-makers and his ability to guide decisions. “ I am a soldier. So I say things clearly but somehow I don't have a say and adding, " I know very well that a Mission Commander cannot ask for a blank check for 3 years with a mission that would not move ". Recommendations which nevertheless deserve to be seriously considered because they come from experience in the field.
(Th. Le Bihan)
* The EUTM Mali mission runs until March 2014 but will undergo a strategic review led by the crisis management planning department (CMPD) of the European diplomatic service, next September. It is at this time that the extension of the mission will be decided.