On my first article regarding our Defense Force, I tried to reiterate the legacy and development of our Defense Force where I tried to highlight their role. There, I tried to focus on their activities during the 1950s as follows. The then Ethiopian Army’s achievement as the United Nation’s Peace keeping Mission in The Korean War, the Ethiopian defense Force made history. Sacrifices were made by the then soldiers for the independence of South Korea against its aggressors. During the fighting, the Ethiopian contingence known as the Kagnew battalion lost 121 soldiers and 536 soldiers were wounded. However, our nation was the only nation that has no prisoner of war with no soldier surrendering to the enemy and with no dead soldier left behind in 238 combats. This was considered unprecedented and as something super natural. With that achievement those sons and daughters of our nation with uniform made our people very proud and their history of heroism is written in gold both at home and in Korea.
In the 1960s, the same heroic history was repeated in The Congo as the heroic Ethiopian army by the name of TekelBirged which my father was a part of was selected again to be sent to Congo as the United Nation’s peace keeping mission under the UN resolution 143 in order to assist the Congolese forces. There again, the then Ethiopian army even under a very precarious conditions finished its mission bravely and was awarded with medals and great international recognitions for its bravery in international peace keeping mission putting our nation yet again on the international arena. The UN received a noble peace prize as a result of that mission.
Later on, even during the bad times here at home, the then Ethiopian army trained and armed the then freedom fighters of Angola, Zimbabwe and South Africa among others. Mandela of South Africa and Mugabe of Zimbabwe who later on became presidents of their respective nations are among those who benefited from military training by Ethiopian military trainers. Those nations were struggling to achieve their independence against colonial powers. Even then, the Ethiopian army contributed to help many African countries that were not fortunate enough to be independent like our nation that kept its independence thanks to its heroic sons and daughters who defeated all external aggressors and kept our nation free and independent; thus, Ethiopia becoming the only black nation that kicked away all those who tried to subject it to slavery and colonial rule. All that added with the golden achievement of our Great Emperors: Emperor Tewodros, Emperor Yohannes the 4th, Emperor Menilik 2nd along with EtegeTahaituand ,Ras Alula Aba Nega among others who were brave fighters made our nation a symbol of freedom and independence feared by all aggressors and colonialists alike. That was a brief highlight of the history of the legacy of our ancient Ethiopian army under those leaders which is worth mentioning.
The making, history, characteristics and achievement of our current Defense Force is quite unique. The current Ethiopian Defense Force is made of all Nations, Nationalities and Peoples of Ethiopia; therefore, it represents Ethiopia’s Nations, Nationalities and Peoples, it emanates from them and is their reflection and representation. Further, our current Defense Force is also a reflection of its core mission which is"to enhance peace and security through deterrence and diplomacy and should these fail, to ensure a swift and decisive victory over the aggressor". And on my second article, I tried to reiterate that our current defense force is the reflection of the Ethiopian Nations, nationalities and Peoples and that our Defense Force is a vanguard of our constitution and the constitutional order. Ere, I like to focus on te very deserving acknowledgement, respect and honor that our defense Force deserves.This excellent reputation has made our Defense Force arguably the most trusted and admired Defense Force anywhere in the world. Here is President Obama’s remark on September 25th 2014 "… And in discussion with Ban Ki-moon yesterday, we discussed how critical it is for us to improve our effectiveness when it comes to peace keeping and conflict resolution. And it turns out that Ethiopia may be one of the best in the world -one of the largest contributors of peace keeping; one of the most effective fighting force when it comes to being placed in some very difficult situations and helping to resolve conflicts. So Ethiopia has been not only a leader economically in the continent, but also when it comes to security and trying to resolve some of the longstanding conflicts there. We are very appreciative of the efforts, and we look forward to partnering with them.."
This phenomenon was also demonstrated during the United Nation’s peace keeping mission in The Sudan and in South Sudan. Here, both countries agreed to have the Ethiopian Defense Force as the only peace keeping mission to be deployed within their territory in order to help them settle their political problem in Abyie. Here, it is important to note the historical decision of the UN Security Council where it unanimously authorized the deployment of only Ethiopian Defense Force in Abyie at the request of both the Sudan and South Sudan. Both nations agreed and put full trust and confidence of a neighboring Defense Force entering their country as a neutral body to help settle differences and to keep those conflicting armies calm. This is simply unprecedented and unheard of anywhere else in the world thus far. No other country has done that except our trusted Defense Force. What a unique trust from two opposite factions! Could there be further testimony than this to the impartiality, neutrality and above all to the principled stand of the Ethiopian Defense Force. They simply have made a shining history that makes all of us very proud.
Also in Somalia, our Defense force has played a pivotal role in fighting terrorism and bringing peace and stability to the people of Somalia who for many years were longing for peace and stability in the country. Here too, the Ethiopian Defense Force is praised both by the United Nations, the government of Somalia and most importantly by the people of Somalia for a job well done. Therefore, we should be very proud of those wonderful achievements of our heroic Defense Force. This success is a result of hard work, commitment, perseverance and humanity coupled with a very high level, difficult, and rigorous military and academic training that our Defense Force values and takes the matter very seriously.
Our Defense Force is part and parcel of the community at large; therefore, it involves in a variety ways and means important to the wellbeing of the community. Our Defense Force participates in various national socio-economic developmental activities including environmental protection such as soil and water conservation, reforestation and terracing. It actively participates in modern technology, research and development as in the case of the Metal and Engineering Corporation (METEC) and the defense Construction Enterprise that are actively contributing to the construction of the Grand renaissance Dam (GERD). It also builds schools, clinics, hospitals, roads, and bridges, and participates in reforestation and provides skill training and technical and technological knowledge transfer to the community at large and especially to those small enterprises and to schools and universities through its technical and professional departments. This helps create professionalism, entrepreneurship and employment opportunities especially to the young generation.