UPDF to establish National Defence College

 

KAMPALA-Uganda is set to get the first National Defence College to be established in Jinja.

 

Describing it as premium Strategic National Defence institution, the  Chief of Defence Forces Gen David Muhoozi   on Monday said  the establishment will be a premier institute of excellence on defence, security and national development and will provide strategic leadership to the Government on national and international security matters.

 

Muhoozi revealed that the Ministry of Defence and Veteran Affairs  has since appointed the Uganda National Defence College steering committee  to discuss modalities  of the initial phase of construction, drafting a college.

 

The National Defence College (NDC)  steering committee chaired by Maj. Gen Nakibus Lakara  tasked to  establish the Uganda - NDC by 2019 was launched on Monday at  the ministry headquarters in Mbuya.

 

"Uganda People's Defence Force (UPDF) has made many strides in training but we have been missing a flagship institution that provides professional joint military education at strategic level."

 

In order to manage complexity, uncertainty changes and surprise in the contemporary security environment, there is always urgent need to develop institutions like NDC for strategic level training. Gen Muhoozi said at the launch.

 

Stressing that UPDF has to craft an NDC that is awake with Uganda's context and environment in order to achieve Uganda's desired end state. Gen. Muhoozi  said there was  enough resource since a number of UPDF senior officers have the knowledge, experience and background information having attended NDC in other counties like Kenya, UK  and China.

 

A press release from  the ministry stated that Gen. Muhoozi told the steering committee to derive the college's enduring theme around security, stability and prosperity.

 

The  Chief of Defence Forces (CDF)  also said the joint set up of UPDF within and across government could well be practiced if UPDF takes on strategic security studies at the level of NDC where UPDF interfaces with senior level leaders from other government agencies and partners.

 

 This, he said offers an opportunity to realise the linkage between strategic and operational level learning. Such strategic level of education Gen. Muhoozi  said would also help security planners to formulate policies and understand the security complexes including those that arise from international behaviors of other states and players in order to determine the appropriate responses.

 

NDC will help prepare civilians, military, national security professionals and future leaders to understand the broader strategic security environment and manage the complexities at a strategic level.

 

He said within the security domain, UPDF has to lend a hand to police when dealing with diplomacy, public order management and media issues. "UPDF and civilian leaders need to craft responses that are effective, credible and promote a nations security"

 

At the same event, The Deputy CDF Lt Gen Wilson Badi said with the launching of the steering committee, it should effectively start working out the initial phase of construction, drafting a college curriculum. He told the committee to take on a bench marking trip to an already established NDC with a view of acquainting themselves with how the college can be run.

 

Maj Gen Lakara said most of the work had already been done and sub committees were already functioning. He said a work plan to guide the subsequent committee meetings will be drafted to guide them in steering their work.

 

The launch was also attended by the Commander Land Force (CLF) Maj Gen Peter Elwelu, the Joint Chief of Staff (JCOS) Maj Gen Joseph Musanyufu, Lydia Wanyoto a member of the committee and other senior UPDF officers.