The last of the BASTs

By Lieutenant-Colonel John Fife

The International Military Advisory and Training Team, Sierra Leone (IMATT SL) was formed in November 2000 as a British-led multinational initiative to help the government of Sierra Leone build democratically accountable, effective, sustainable armed forces capable of any security task the government might assign. Initially comprising a team of advisors and trainers and a battalion of infantry, IMATT SL started out with a mandate to restructure the army of Sierra Leone from top to bottom. Later, IMATT SL was reconfigured as a training and advisory group commanded by a British colonel and organized in Brigade Advisory and Support Teams (BASTs).

IMATT SL was designed to decrease in size and influence as the Sierra Leone armed forces increase in professionalism and skill. After more than eight years of work, the Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces (RSLAF) are achieving their objectives, so — true to its design — IMATT SL is being reoriented and downsized with a more appropriate mandate, focus and structure.

During phase one, now complete, the BASTs were reduced to two teams under the command of a Canadian lieutenant-colonel — since November 2008, that was me. Those last two BASTs will stand down in phase two, beginning on 17 April 2009, and be replaced by a single Enhanced Training Group.

During my tour, both BASTs were deployed up-country, one in Sierra Leone’s northern region near the town of Makeni, and the other in the southern sector on the outskirts of the villages of Bo and Kenema. Made up of soldiers from Britain, Canada, Jamaica, Nigeria, and the United States, the BASTs lived and worked with the soldiers of the Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces (RSLAF), and mentored the commissioned and non-commissioned officers of three different RSLAF Brigades. They also supported all RSLAF collective and individual training.

While Canadian Forces training establishments feel pressure to provide high-quality training with minimal resources, the RSLAF take this concept to a whole new level. The RSLAF have no PowerPoint or fancy training aids, and many of their lessons plans are handwritten on paper or taught from memory. Most of their battle schools have no source of power and training is often interrupted because there is no food for the soldiers or fuel for their trucks. Candidates often provide their own paper and pens. They can’t afford to waste anything; they must find workable solutions for just about every shortage imaginable. It is not uncommon to see soldiers growing their own crops on the camps where they are stationed or cleaning their uniforms in a nearby stream.

The BASTs have played a major role, not only in the development of the RSLAF, but also in the villages that surround their camps. They have been active in community work and assisted in many developmental projects, from building schoolhouses to maintaining supplies of safe drinking water. Recently, they oversaw the construction of a community marketplace in Daru, a remote town in southeast Sierra Leone. In Makeni, BAST North Team helped the community raise funds for and build a soccer field near a school with no recreation facilities and more than 1,000 pupils. It was a great experience to see the excitement and anticipation on the faces of those kids at the opening ceremony. The BASTs have five more projects in the works with the Canadian Fund for Local Initiatives that will go a long way to help improve the lives of many families.

Over the years, the BASTs have established an excellent rapport with RSLAF soldiers and Sierra Leonean civilians alike — everywhere the team members go, children scream “IMATT” and wave with big smiles. The BASTs have created a legacy that will endure long after the teams themselves disappear.

LCol John Fife is currently deployed on Operation SCULPTURE as commander of the Canadian contingent in the IMATT SL.