Chief of the Defence Staff honoured
The Chief of the Defence Staff (CDS) of the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF), Vice-Admiral Matthew Quashie, has been honoured by the Nigeria Defence College with the Distinguished Alumnus Star Award.
The CDS, who is an alumnus of the college, was presented with the award during the graduation ceremony for military officers selected from the Armed Forces of various African countries held at the college in Nigeria.
Presenting the award, the Senate President of Nigeria, David Mark, described Vice-Admiral Quashie as a distinguished product of the college who had risen to the position of the CDS of the GAF.
He added that the college was proud to have one of its own attaining such a high office in the GAF.
The Alumnus Star Award is presented to officers of the military worldwide who have risen to the highest command of their countries' armed forces.
The award, therefore, is an honour to the GAF and the nation as a whole.
Vice-Admiral Quashie was born in Accra on March 23, 1951.
Academic qualification
He holds a Master of Arts degree in Governance and Leadership from the Ghana Institute of Public Administration (GIMPA).
He entered the Ghana Military Academy in 1970, after his GCE O' Level at Mfantsipim School.
He continued his basic military officer training at the Britannia Royal Naval College in the United Kingdom and was commissioned as a Sub-Lieutenant into the Executive Branch of the Ghana Navy in July 1974.
Vice-Admiral Quashie has held various command and staff appointments in his career, including Base Operations Officer, Naval Base Sekondi; Staff Officer, Communication and Intelligence, Naval Headquarters; Commanding Officer of the GNS Dzata and the Ghana Navy flagship GNS Achimota, with additional responsibility as the Senior Officer Afloat; Director of Operations and Planning, Naval Headquarters; and Flag Officer Commanding the Eastern Naval Command (2005-2009).
International Peacekeeping
On international peacekeeping, Vice-Admiral Quashie served with the ECOMOG Mission in Liberia and Sierra Leone, the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), among others.