Tamale, Sept. 13, GNA - Air-Vice Marshall Julius Otchere Boateng, Chief of Air Staff, has commended the Tamale Air Force Station for its self-help spirit and the cordial civil-military relationship it had fostered. He said through self-help, the Station had constructed a new fuel station, servicing workshop and a new administration block, among other initiatives. Air-Vice Marshall Boateng was reviewing an Administrative Inspection Parade of the Tamale Air Force Station, which was made up of five Officers and 65 Air Force men and women in Tamale on Friday. Squadron Leader Ben Offei was the parade commander. The Chief of Air Staff said as a result of the cordial military-civilian relationship fostered by the Station, the Regional Coordinating Councils of the Northern, Upper East and Upper West Regions had assisted the station to execute the projects. Air-Vice Marshall Boateng commended the Regional Ministers and the Municipal Chief Executives of the three regions, who assisted in diverse ways to ensure the completion of the projects. He also commended the men and women of the Air Force for their high sense of professionalism and pride.

Air-Vice Marshall Boateng explained that the main purpose of the Administrative Parade was to evaluate the Force's state of operational readiness and ability to perform its assigned roles. He noted the strategic importance of the Station in the national security framework and told the parade; "Your contribution to the overall Air Force mission in the security equation is therefore vital to our success".

He also commended the station for its contributions to the maintenance of internal security in the northern sector notably at Bawku in the Upper East Region and Yendi in the Northern Region. Air-Vice Marshall Boateng said the station's evacuation of medical supplies and relief flights from the southern to the northern sector of the country had been commendable.

He said the re-equipment programmes initiated by the government for the various squadrons had yielded results leading among other things to the delivery of the 4x4 Fighter Ground Attack Aircraft, a flight simulation and its associated spare parts. He said the F 27 and F 28 aircrafts had all been refurbished to give them new leases of life adding that flying activities had increased as a result.

Air-Vice Marshall Boateng said it was his expectation that before the next Administrative Parade, the re-location of the K-8 aircraft to the Tamale station would have been completed. He expressed the hope that on-going projects such as the four storey-building comprising 16 apartments with living and office accommodation and the sports complex would be completed by the end of the year. 13 Sept. 08