Luqa barracks were transformed yesterday afternoon as the Armed Forces of Malta opened the gates of its headquarters to the public as part of its annual open day activities.
The vast majority of the AFM’s work is domestic and non-military in nature
Gone was the sombre and sparse entrance. In its place, families young and old thronged to the barracks, curious to get a glimpse into the life and work of Malta’s Armed Forces recruits, while a burger van and an imqaret (date cakes) stall jostled for prominence alongside the barracks’ entrance.
Inside the gates, makeshift stalls and tents proudly showed off the AFM’s various units and functions. People flocked to see a military helicopter, its rotor casting an imposing shadow across the barracks’ courtyard, while children leapt into a bouncy castle or raced miniature go-karts around a makeshift oval track.
Some enterprising visitors tried their hand at some target practice while those with a more musical bent tapped their feet to the AFM Band’s performance. At each stall, AFM personnel were on hand to explain their roles to the public.
The AFM open day was resurrected in the 1990s following a prolonged period when it had fallen by the wayside.
Open days such as this were important because they brought the AFM closer to the general public, Colonel and AFM Deputy Commander David Attard explained. “The public often doesn’t realise just how varied the AFM’s functions are,” he said.
According to Col Attard, “the vast majority of the AFM’s work is domestic and non-military in nature – it consists of what other countries refer to as ‘homeland security’ and varies from airport security to vehicle checkpoints and coastguard duties”.
The AFM, which can count 1,800 troops among its ranks, is currently in the process of recruiting 45 further members – but received over 460 applications for the posts.
Col Attard was also eager to showcase the AFM’s international contingent. Twelve AFM troops are currently taking part in anti-piracy operations off the coast of Somalia, while more soldiers have been deployed to Uganda as part of an EU training mission tasked with training Somali security forces.
Other AFM officers have been deployed to other foreign missions, including an EU monitoring mission in Georgia, the EU’s support mission to Libya EUFOR Libya, and UNIFIL, the UN Interim Force in Lebanon.
In an extensive tour of the barracks, Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi met troops and discussed the AFM’s work with Commander Brigadier Martin Xuereb and other AFM officials. He praised the AFM for its open day activities as well as congratulating it on its excellent work throughout the rest of the year.