18 Aug 2026

Botswana and the United States, through Exercise Southern Accord 2026 (SA 2026), engaged an intensive joint military drill designed to sharpen regional security and operational readiness on multinational interoperability.

The week-long exercise hosted by Gaborone Technical College, focused on counter-terrorism, counter-insurgency, cyber and space domain awareness and crisis response planning. 

The joint military exercise integrated civilian departments such as the Department of Wildlife, communications sector and the Financial Intelligence Agency (FIA) alongside the Botswana Defence Force to practice a “whole-of-government” approach, ensuring coordinated responses to complex, multi-domain security and transnational threats.

Sanctioning the graduation of the 211 participants, US Ambassador to Botswana, Mr Howard Van Vraken, highlighted that the SA 2026 represented another important step to the longstanding relationship between Botswana and the US.

“The Southern Accord is more than just an exercise but represents a partnership built on mutual respect, shared responsibility and a common interest toward a secure and stable Southern Africa, providing an opportunity for both nations to learn from one another to effectively respond to future challenges,” he said.  

He further highlighted how through SA 2026, Batswana military and civilian planners worked alongside US planners and the US Space Force collaborating to communicate, share information and make sound decisions to strengthen both nations.

“The United States deeply values its relationship with Botswana and respects Botswana’s longstanding commitment to democracy, sovereignty, professionalism and regional security,” he said.

Amongst the participants were Botswana Communications Regulatory Authority (BOCRA) officers to provide critical civilian-military and regulatory expertise in cyber defence and telecommunications. 

Giving an account of the training, Mr Ratang Kabane, Incident Responder at BOCRA highlighted how the exercise expanded his focus from primarily unit level training to joint operational planning and coordination.

Their involvement supported whole-of-government coordination, aligning with a formal Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) aimed at reinforcing national security and sovereign capabilities in the digital and cyber fields. 

Brigadier Collen Nkete, BDF Training Director highlighted the importance of SA Accord in facilitating the simulation of realistic, operational conditions to build capabilities aimed at better responding to possible security threats.

“While Botswana’s security threat level remain low to medium, the future is uncertain and interventions such as the SA Accord are crucial in helping us respond in case we encounter a sudden security incident,” he said. 

He further gave insights on the significance of the flagship exercise, which evolved from 2010 as basic humanitarian and peace keeping drills to multi-domain robust exercises aimed toward building vital tactical coordination between Botswana and the US in enhancing readiness for regional domestic-led peace keeping, counter-insurgency and disaster relief operations. 

As the focus shifts to the 2028 SA edition, the biennial joint military exercise, sponsored by the US Africa Command (USAFRICOM) promises to empower partner nations to evolve and better respond to disruptive regional security incidents through strengthened, long-term diplomatic and defensive cooperation and high-level defense forums. ENDS