Gambia Armed Forces defence and security in The Gambia was the responsibility of the Field Force. The Field Force was a paramilitary unit of the police, consisting of roughly 140 men at independence and rising to around 500 in 1980. It has been formed in 1958 following the disbandment of the Gambia Regiment, part of the British Army. There was little concern about security in The Gambia due to its small size and the safety provided by being totally surrounded by Senegal, with which it had signed a mutual defence pact in 1965. This lax attitude to defence changed following the 1981 coup
Gambia Radio & Television Service (Gamtel). In 1996, it adopted its own television channel. The Station operates as a public service station based on the tradition of Radio Gambia. The Station's programmes are mostly news, public service announcements, education, entertainment and religious related (Islam and Christianity only, mostly Islam and nothing on Traditional African religion). In 2010, the Station was awarded the "National Order of the Republic of the Gambia" with the rank of ""Commander"" (CRG). Gambia Radio & Television Service The Gambia Radio & Television Service is the national broadcaster of the West African state of the Gambia. Gambia Radio & Television Service currently