Museveni hails UPDF for contributing to African security

BUIKWE - President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has hailed Uganda's army (UPDF) for its role in Africa's security and stability through strategic professional training initiatives.

He was officiating at the third graduation ceremony of the National Defence College - Uganda (NDCU) in Buikwe district on Friday (June 13).

Museveni, the Commander‑in‑Chief of the UPDF, congratulated the army for doing the right thing for Uganda by developing key institutions which never existed before.

President Yoweri Museveni presides over the 3rd graduation at the National Defence College in Buikwe during their graduation ceremony on Friday. (All Photos by PPU)

“I want to congratulate the National Resistance Movement (NRM) and UPDF for finally building a comprehensive infrastructure, both human and physical, for the defence of Uganda and for contributing to the security of Africa."

He said that going forward, the National Defence College needs to critically look in detail at the content of what is being taught, so that it captures properly the political economy of the world. 

“All this time, all these problems you see in Africa are because of mistakes. They make philosophical, strategic and ideological mistakes."

The President said that not understanding the role of the private sector, patriotism, Pan Africanism, and the concept of army building has made most of the African countries fail to keep peace, and this should be emphasised during the training.

Some of the senior army officers during their graduation ceremony at the National Defence College in Buikwe on Friday, June 13th.

“As you train our people, you should also bring these points out clearly, because we have written about them."

Museveni said that it is because of these attributes that the UPDF is now able to maintain peace in Uganda and also export it to neighbouring countries such as DR Congo, Somalia, and South Sudan, sometimes without external funding, except for Somalia.

The third cohort consisted of 22 graduates who successfully completed the National Security and Strategic Studies course.

They included two lady officers — Brig. Gen. Charity Bainababo and Col. Betty Wanyera Musuya — and one civilian, Ronnie Smurts Amoro, a principal policy analyst in the defence ministry.

Defence minister Oboth Oboth

Museveni underscored the importance of NDC in equipping the commanders with knowledge in different areas of warfare such as combined arms, administration, the economy, politics and social services — crucial in building a capable human resource, key in strategic security.

“So, the concept of combined arms is that you need to combine a number of elements to achieve success in fighting. You combine infantry support, weapons of infantry, Air Force, armour, all that communication, reconnoitring, that's very, very important to you. We must be clear about that."

The President also noted that citizens, especially traders, have now picked interest in the East African Integration and are now advocating for it to become a reality. 

“Traders are now demanding tarmacked roads connecting the East African countries to ease trade in the region.”

According to Brig. Gen. Alex Opolot Olupot, the Commandant of NDCU, all the NDC course members successfully completed the course and have also passed all the exams of the first part of their Masters in Security Strategy programme of Makerere University.

He said that after leaving NDC, they will continue to complete their research paper for the award of their master’s degree.

Olupot thanked defence minister Jacob Oboth-Oboth and UPDF senior leadership for their guidance and support towards the successful accomplishment of this course. 

'Beacon of excellence'

NDCU is concurrently running two distinct but complementary courses. 

The primary course is National Security and Strategic Studies (NSSS) which runs for 11 months, and the second course being a two-year Master of Security Strategy (MASS) programme of Makerere University (fully approved by the NCHE) and it runs in both NDC and Makerere University, anchored under the College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHUSS).

Minister Oboth-Oboth underscored the role of the college in strengthening national security and governance, owing to the complex present-day security challenges that demand well-trained, informed and capable leaders.

 “The college stands as a beacon of excellence in fostering a culture of collaboration and strategic thinking amongst our nation's decision makers,” he said.

The minister spoke of plans to establish a National Defence University.

“The National Defence University, once established, will offer other higher security-related courses, promoting research and development and innovation into appropriate security systems.

"I am also happy to announce that the National Defence College-Uganda will soon begin admitting course members from various ministries, departments and agencies."

Oboth-Oboth told the President that the college is in talks with neighbours, and negotiations are on to acquire the land around for further development as part of the ongoing efforts to improve the infrastructure of institution.

The Deputy Chief of Defence Forces, Lt. Gen. Sam Okiding, described NDCU as an institution dedicated to providing advanced military education and strategic training for senior officers and also civilians.

He said the college plays a crucial role in shaping leaders who can effectively address complex security issues and contribute to the country's overall development. 

“Your Excellency, through your leadership, we have made successful strides in the direction of development as a country, it's the results of your visionary leadership that has brought us this far,” Okiding told Museveni.

Congratulating the graduates, the Deputy CDF urged them to directly tackle the challenges affecting national security such as corruption.

Meanwhile, the overall leadership and academic excellence award was presented to Col Ronald Mulindwa Nangamba followed by Col Henry Okumu Obbo. 

Ronnie Smurts Amoro was recognized for their exceptional contribution to the college's academic legacy and the broader field of Strategic Studies, whose paper focused on health service delivery and national security, a critical review of Uganda's health sector performance and prospects from 1986 to 2024. 

He was followed by Col Nicholas Humble Nyesiga, whose paper looked at the African peace and security architecture.