CDF Gen. Kainerugaba welcomes new Indian military advisory team

_________________

Uganda and India continue to strengthen their long-standing military partnership, highlighted by the arrival of a new Indian Military Advisory and Training Team (IMATT) in Uganda.

Since 2010, India has deployed a training team to the Ugandan Army’s Senior Command and Staff College, while also supplying military hardware, including vehicles, as part of its support to the Uganda Peoples’ Defence Forces (UPDF).

The latest delegation, led by Brigadier N.V. Nanjundeshwara and comprising Colonel Surendra Tanwar and group Captain Pranav Raj, was received on Monday, September 1, 2025, by the Chief of Defence Forces (CDF), General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, at the Special Forces Command (SFC) headquarters in Entebbe.

Gen. Kainerugaba praised the excellent cooperation between the two countries, noting the benefits of shared training, knowledge and mutual learning. He assured the incoming team of the UPDF’s full support, pledging the same productive partnership enjoyed with their predecessors.

Senior UPDF officials, including the Chief of Joint Staff, Lieutenant General Jack Bakasumba, and Brigadier General Wycliffe Keita of the Joint Staff Training and Doctrine Command, also attended the meeting.

The two-year rotation cycle of the IMATT, according to the CDF, reflects the enduring and strategic nature of Uganda–India defence relations. Beyond the military sphere, both countries also enjoy cultural, economic and educational exchanges, with India offering scholarships to Ugandan students.

India has, in recent year,s donated military vehicles to Uganda, including 36 in August 2020, further cementing its role as a key defence partner.