A fast-paced, nail-biting military drill by the newly graduated counter-terrorism officers of the School of Military Intelligence and Security in Nakasongola on Friday climaxed months of rigorous mental and physical training described by President Yoweri Museveni, the Commander in Chief as ‘Being sure of Yourself’ in combat. 

The young warriors dry-practised eight action-packed drills during which they would respond instinctively and without delay to enemy fire while running, crawling, jumping and shooting at targets set at 25 metres, 50 metres and 100 metres and neutralizing them in seconds. They also included the use of choppers in VIP protection and terrorism and enemy capture in hostage situations.

“It’s a good beginning for you, don’t lose this chance. One element about fighting is to be sure of yourself. When you are confident in yourself, you can handle any combat situation. I congratulate you upon completing this very difficult course,” he said. 

The President was presiding over the pass-out of 171 counter Terrorism warriors under the Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence who have been undergoing training in combating terrorism, violent extremism, cyber threats, politically motivated violence and threats that transcend borders. 

The officers are trained in buildup areas in the air, under very strenuous circumstances using both small arms and heavy weapons at short and long distances 

The President, however, warned against ‘cowboyism’ and directed the trainers to integrate technics in an ideological context. 

The President said in that kind of combat training you need three things; How to effectively use your weapon; How to use cover to protect yourself in buildings and trenches and using instinct and speed with the emphasis on marksmanship and ability to take cover. 

“These technics are specific to close combat. Don’t look at yours as cowboys. We don’t want cowboyism here. Technics must be in service of the historic mission of the people of Uganda. It is very good that you are confident of your weapons and when you fire, you hit the target using cover, speed and instinct in the right context,” he said. 

President Museveni who had prior broken ground for the construction of the Military Intelligence and Security that is estimated to cost sh40b, commended Major Gen. Abel Kandiho the in-charge Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence (CMI) for ensuring that the training is done by local trainers from the UPDF.

He pledged to build the military school into a fully professional institution. 

Gen. Kandiho said this is the first intake to be trained exclusively by UPDFs own professionals.

“This course is a careful but deliberate effort to build the army to focus on the terrorism that is facing the world today. It comes at a critical time when the country is facing multifaceted threats of terrorism. We must prepare to effectively deal with this,” he said, urging the government to quickly build a permanent school of military intelligence and security at Somi, Mijeera in Nakasongola where they have over 2.5 sq miles of land.

“We already support training for other governed agencies like UWA and URA. We are also going to focus on military intelligence and cybersecurity,” he said.

The Chief of Defence Forces, Gen. Wilson Mbadi said the completion of the training by the elite force is part of building a professional army that is modern, effective and efficient to contribute to regional peace.

He said the last foreign training cost the institution $2.5million about sh9bn but this one conducted by the UPDF has cost them sh920million.

“We urge the government to support the UPDF to put the necessary infrastructure for the force since they have capacity for the human resource,” he said.

He urged the graduates to remain patriotic and dedicated to their profession, saying this brings honesty and trust among the population.

On Friday, 171 officers, including five women, graduated. The best overall student was Pt. Kenneth Twongyeire, the most professional was Pt. Gabriel Imalingat while the most disciplined was Pt. Leon Bwambale and the best female student was Pt. Madiina Namuhoma.