Tripoli, 10 July 2013:
The UK will host 2,000 Libyan personnel on ten-week training courses later this year, to boost the professionalism . . .[restrict]of the military.
The soldiers will be trained in basic infantry skills and leadership at a British Army location in Cambridgeshire, some 80 kilometres outside London. Personnel who have passed the appropriate medical and physical tests will be sent to England in small groups once the courses begin.
The training is designed to “help professionalise “the Libyan Army, “and help them achieve peace and stability across their country,” according to the UK government. Although the venue has now been decided, UK Defence Secretary Philip Hammond said that detailed planning for the training was ongoing.
The courses are being run at the behest of the Libyan government, who will also be paying for the training.
This programme is part of a broader package of defence and security support that was developed with the US, France and Italy, following through on an offer made at the G8 summit earlier this year.
UK Foreign Secretary William Hague said that the UK was working closely with these other countries: “To lead a broader international effort to support Libya’s democratic transition and the Libyan authorities’ efforts to make visible improvements to public security in Libya.”
It is expected that more than 7,000 members of the Libyan armed forces will be trained abroad, by different nations. [/restrict]
