Special Forces, British Army conduct joint parade drills

By Vision Reporter

The UPDF Special Forces Commander, Brig. Muhoozi Kainerugaba has commended the historical military co-operation between Uganda and the United Kingdom.

Brig. Muhoozi said this Friday at Jinja Barracks while officiating at the graduation of 30 Special Forces Non-Commissioned Officers (NCO’s) after completing a one-week Drill Sergeant Master Course under the tutelage of British military instructors.

The training program is part of a military exchange program between Uganda and the United Kingdom.

“The significance of drills in the military is about pride in yourself, your uniform, and your organization, and most importantly, it’s about attention to detail. It teaches one to be meticulous, to look after one’s weapon and to look out for those details that can mean the difference between success and failure on the battlefield,” said Brig Muhoozi.

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Special Forces Non Commissioned Officers rehearse their military drills at the parade square under the watchful eye of British Military instructors.

Brig. Muhoozi, who trained at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in the UK in the late 1990’s for his commissioning course, reminisced about his old days under tough British Army instructors.

“We are happy to re-connect with the British Army. It is an old and respected institution that has historical links with Uganda. When the Sergeant Majors were yelling commands on the parade square for a moment I thought I was back at Sandhurst,” said a jovial Muhoozi.

The British Defense Attaché to Uganda, Col. Nichols, who was also in attendance, praised the professionalism and exemplary standards exhibited by the Ugandan Special Forces. “You have worked exceptionally hard. The atmosphere of this military parade ground and the commands in English could be mistaken for one back home in the UK,” said Col. Nichols.

The Commandant of the Junior Command and Staff College, Jinja, Col. Godfrey Golooba and his counterpart from the Non-Commissioned Officers Academy in the same location, Lt. Col. Saad Katemba attended the event.

Col. Golooba applauded the discipline of troops during their training which he remarked is the hallmark of a professional and modern army.

The British military instructors were led by Warrant Officer Class One Andrew Purcell, who flew in from Sandhurst to preside over the short training exchange. He praised the spirit and motivation of the troops during the training program, he added that they were happy to be associated with the UPDF Special Forces Command.

The British training team was composed of three warrant officers, all instructors from the prestigious Royal Military Academy Sandhurst.