Women in armed forces advised to enhance military technology

SECURITY  TERRORISM   TECHNOLOGY

Given their natural prowess which is relatively weaker to that of men, women in armed forces were advised to enhance technological war-fare as a way of countering violent extremism.

Pointing out the spate of terrorist attacks in some of the African countries, female soldiers were urged to embrace technological advancement especially air artillery warfare.

The remarks were made by Lydia Wanyoto the vice-chairperson for the steering committee of Uganda's national defence college, during the international training for women in the military in Entebbe. She added that, with the advancement of new technology, soldiers no longer drive armoured tanks but rather, use fighter drones which are speedy and efficient to operate.

The five-day training organised by Canadian government, involves 52 participants from 15 counties Lt. Col. Nathalie Boisvert from Canadian forces, says that the conference which started on Monday is intended to have women share their own experiences regarding integration of women into armed forces.

"It is also our opportunity to share the Canadian experience on how we integrate women into armed forces," noted Lt. Col. Boisvert. She added that, integration of women in armed forces has evolved for the past years though there are still political, economic and social factors which are directly still affecting how women are integrated.

Lydia Wanyoto said, the conference also aims at implementing the United Nations Security Council resolution 1325 that emphasises the importance of integration of women in armed forces. "In Uganda, we have women in all armed forces but we're advocating for their promotion. Women in armed forces, play a vital role in peace support operations and they are very good for intelligence services," said Wanyoto.

Other participating countries are: Tunisia, Mali, Kenya, Ivory Coast, Ethiopia, Senegal, Nigeria, Tanzania and Ghana. Others were; Sierra Leon, Benin, Cameroon, Malawi, Morocco and the host Uganda  Canada, Jordan and Kuwait also sent representatives to facilitate the training.