President Yoweri Museveni, who doubles as the Commander-in-Chief (CIC) of the Uganda Peoples’ Defence Forces (UPDF)
has presented an instrument of delegated Command, Control, and Administration of the army to the Chief of Defense Forces, Gen. Wilson Mbasu Mbadi, to command all elements of the UPDF.
The presentation occurred yesterday 17 February 2024 as the president who doubles as the Commander-in-Chief of the UPDF presided over the Defense Council at State House Entebbe.
The meeting of top military officials saw the unveiling of the Uganda Peoples’ Defence Forces (UPDF) Establishment 2021, which will facilitate rationalization of the force and providing guidelines for the CDF to take charge where deemed necessary.
The policy document enables changes of merging some UPDF departments, the creation of new ones, and discarding some in order to improve the army command, control and administration.
In his address, President Museveni compared the role of the UPDF Establishment 2021 to that of medical professionals, highlighting the importance of preserving and safeguarding the nation’s well-being.
He emphasized that just as a doctor’s duty is to maintain the health of their patients and provide treatment, when necessary, the UPDF’s primary objective is to ensure peace and security in Uganda.
“This UPDF Establishment is like public health and medical treatment. In the case of sickness, public health is done by observing elements of nutrition, vaccination, clean water, and all these are done for someone to avoid sickness. But in case he or she gets sick, there are also curative measures,” President Museveni said.
President Museveni outlined that the doctrine of defence and the establishment’s structures emphasize effective planning and execution necessary to uphold peace and security across the country.
“The doctrine of Defence and the establishment are the structures of how you are going to preserve peace and security in Uganda. And if there is a need for treatment, then what and who is to do what,” he said.
The Commander-in-Chief paid tribute to the late Lt Gen (Rtd) Pecos Kutesa, a revered military figure renowned for his bravery and contributions to Uganda’s liberation struggle. He presented a plaque and certificate to the family of the Late Lt Gen (Rtd) Pecos Kutesa for the distinguished service rendered as the 1st Chairman of the UPDF establishment committee.
In his remarks, the Chief of Defence Forces (CDF), Gen Wilson Mbasu Mbadi, lauded the exhaustive seven-year process culminating in the formulation of the UPDF Establishment 2021.
Stressing its consultative nature, the CDF, highlighted the document’s emphasis on jointness at the strategic level and operational leanness, aligning with principles of decentralization.
“The UPDF Establishment 2021 document enables changes of merging of some UPDF departments, the creation of new ones, and discarding others to improve command, control and administration of the Forces,” Gen Mbadi said.