Lieutenant general Michiel Van der Laan, director of military planning and conduct capability, with the European military deployed in Mogadishu

• He met with the military of the European Union Training Mission in Somalia and related bodies.

Lieutenant General Michiel Van Der Laan, Director of the Military Planning and Conduct Capability (DMPCC), made an official two-day visit to the troops, facilities and bodies associated with the European Union Training Mission in Somalia (EUTM-S). During his stay, he had the opportunity to supervise the advisory and training activities carried out by the mission, as well as to establish and strengthen links with various local, European and international institutions.

During the course of the visit, the Lieutenant General held meetings with members of various embassies accredited in the area, with the aim of exchanging points of view on the security situation, multilateral cooperation and the support needs of the Somali security forces. He also visited the facilities where the members of EUTM-S are housed and work, where he was able to see the operational and logistical conditions in which the deployed personnel operate.

He also visited the Somali National Army (SNA) facilities, where EUTM-S personnel conduct mentoring and training activities. These include the Dhagabadan General Training Centre (GDTC), where mentoring of the General Staff and training of SNA personnel is carried out. There he had the opportunity to meet with the Land Force Commander of the Somali Army; he also met with the Somali Minister of Defence in Villa Gashandiga. In both meetings he had the chance to learn about the training process and its impact on improving Somalia’s military capabilities, as well as to identify the challenges and needs doe strengthening security in the country.

Finally, the DMPCC met with other international actors such as the head of the EUCAP mission (European Union Capacity Building Mission in Somalia) and the 2nd head of the ATMIS mission (African Transition Mission in Somalia) to promote coordination and cooperation between international partners. In this way, the aim is to optimise the effectiveness of training and advisory activities, as well as to make progress in stabilising and consolidating security in Somalia.

EUTM SOMALIA

EUTM Somalia is covered by the UN Security Council Resolution 1872 of May 2009. The European Union agreed on 25 January 2010 to launch it to contribute to the training of security forces in Somalia. The mission was initially deployed in Uganda until it moved to Mogadishu (Somalia) in 2014.

EUTM-S currently contributes to the capacity building of the Somali security sector by providing advice and training to the military and at the strategic level, to the Somali authorities of the security institutions in the Mogadishu area. EUTM-S also supports, within the limits of its means and capabilities, other EU and international partners in the implementation of their respective mandates. In the near future, Somali military units trained by EUTM-S personnel will be an additional ‘tool’ at the disposal of the Somali authorities, both to fight Al-Shabaab and to initiate the transitional process for the gradual withdrawal of ATMIS (African Union Transition Mission in Somalia) troops and the transfer of security responsibilities to the Somali security and defence forces.

In 2010, Spain was the main driving force behind EUTM Somalia, and has participated in the mission since the beginning of its deployment. Currently, Spanish military personnel carry out training and advisory tasks in different areas, in addition to occupying important positions in the mission's headquarters, such as the Chief of Staff.