Rear Admiral Godwin Livinus Bessing, the Chief of Naval Staff (CNS), has commended personnel of the Ghana Navy for their continuous resilience and dedication to protecting Ghana’s maritime domain.
He gave the commendation when the Western Naval Command, Naval Logistics Command, and the Ghana Navy Fleet jointly held the annual West Africa Soldiers Social Activities (WASSA), at the Sekondi Naval Base.
The event brought together civilians, traditional authorities, the military high command, sister security agencies, corporate organisations, and family and friends of personnel to have fun and celebrate the festive season together.
Rear Admiral Bessing said as part of their duties, the personnel kept watch at sea in both calm and turbulent waters, protected the nation’s offshore assets, and provided a conducive environment for legitimate businesses to thrive.
“You all deserve my highest commendation for your professionalism, hard work, and dedication to duty.
“Indeed, your tireless efforts have contributed to making Ghana’s maritime domain one of the safest in a region that continues to record maritime security incidents,” the CNS said.
He encouraged them to keep working hard, while assuring them that the Naval Headquarters and high command were doing everything possible to address their operational and logistical challenges.
Rear Admiral Bessing, however, expressed concern about the continuous decline in physical fitness level among personnel.
He said this situation was particularly worrying as young officers and soldiers, including new entrants, struggled to meet the requirements of Basic Fitness Tests and other physically demanding exercises across the services.
He said: “The challenge was starkly evident during the just-ended Exercise TIGERS’ PATH, where no officer participant was able to surmount all fourteen obstacles or represent their team in the Assault River Range.
“The below-average performance of all teams in both the Obstacle Crossing and Assault River Range should concern us deeply if we truly value the future of our Armed Forces.”
The CNS, therefore, charged commanders at all levels to take a keen interest and institute sustainable measures to reverse the trend.
As part of the event, awards and citations were presented to some deserving personnel who distinguished themselves in the discharge of their duties during the year.
GNA
