US marines train Ugandan soldiers

 

 

JINJA - A team of US marines has trained Uganda People's Defense Forces (UPDF) soldiers in a number of areas aimed at enhancing their operational capabilities.

 

The two-month training consisted of seven main operational areas: motor transport operations, maintenance, communications, supply, civil engineering, heavy equipment operations, and utilities management.

 

The US marines and sailors with Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force Crisis Response-Africa, Logistics Combat Element 18.2 embedded with the UPDF soldiers for the training mission in Jinja, Uganda, from March to June 2018.

 

The Theater Security Cooperation (TSC) mission is meant to strengthen ties between the people of the United States and Uganda, a statement from the US Embassy said.

 

To enhance the capabilities of the UPDF, the Marines turned over equipment for the UPDF to complete engineering projects and enable more effective crisis response in the area.

 

The equipment includes: 30 Mercedes trucks with parts for maintenance, two CAT bulldozers, three M-35 2.5 ton trucks, one Rough Terrain Container Handler, and medical and communications equipment.

 

"With this new capability, the UPDF will be able to better serve their people," said 1st Lt. James Hubler, the TSC Uganda Team officer-in-charge.

 

"Our training with the equipment they will now be using enabled a train-the-trainer mindset that will be a catalyst for future interoperability and security for the region."

 

Hubler added; "Our mission is to train the UPDF soldiers in our areas of expertise. The Ugandan soldiers were excellent students and it was easy to see how much they truly care about serving their country. They will walk away from the training with valuable experience that they will use to keep their home secure and to conduct peacekeeping operations abroad, which enhances security and stability in the region."

 

The graduation ceremony for the UPDF from their training course is set to take place at Singo today Friday June 8, 2018.