Incubator escapee wiki

Uganda People's Defence Force

Article Discussion

Template:Short description Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox national military Template:Infobox political party The Uganda People's Defence Force (UPDF), previously known as the National Resistance Army, is the armed forces of Uganda. From 2007 to 2011, the International Institute for Strategic Studies estimated the UPDF had a total strength of 40,000–45,000, consisting of land forces and an air wing.<ref>IISS Military Balance 2007, 297; IISS Military Balance 2011, 447.</ref> Recruitment to the forces is done annually.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

After Uganda achieved independence in October 1962, British officers retained most high-level military commands.<ref name="loc" /> Ugandans in the rank and file claimed this policy blocked promotions and kept their salaries disproportionately low. These complaints eventually destabilized the armed forces, already weakened by ethnic divisions.<ref name="loc" /> Each post-independence regime expanded the size of the army, usually by recruiting from among people of one region or ethnic group, and each government employed military force to subdue political unrest.<ref name="loc" />

HistoryEdit

{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}} The origins of the Ugandan armed forces can be traced to 1902, when the Uganda Battalion of the King's African Rifles was formed. Ugandan soldiers fought as part of the King's African Rifles during the First World War and Second World War.Template:Citation needed As Uganda moved toward independence, the army stepped up recruitment, and the government increased the use of the army to quell domestic unrest.<ref name="loc" /> The army became more closely involved in politics, setting a pattern that continued after independence.<ref name="loc" /> In January 1960, for example, troops were deployed to Bugisu and Bukedi districts in the east to quell political violence.<ref name="loc" /> In the process, the soldiers killed 12 people, injured several hundred, and arrested more than 1,000.<ref name="loc" /> A series of similar clashes occurred between troops and demonstrators, and in March 1962 the government recognized the army's growing domestic importance by transferring control of the military to the Ministry of Home Affairs.<ref name="loc" />

First post-independence military, 1962–1971Edit

{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}} On 9 October 1962, Uganda became independent from the United Kingdom, with the 4th Battalion, King's African Rifles, based at Jinja, becoming the Uganda Rifles.<ref>J.M. Lee, 1969, 40.</ref> The traditional leader of the Baganda, Edward Mutesa, became president of Uganda.<ref name=loc/> Milton Obote, a northerner and longtime opponent of autonomy for the southern kingdoms including Buganda, was prime minister.<ref name="loc" /> Mutesa recognized the seriousness of the rank-and-file demands for Africanising the officer corps, but was more concerned about the potential northern domination of the military, a concern that reflected the power struggle between Mutesa and Obote.<ref name="loc" /> Mutesa used his political power to protect the interests of his Baganda constituency and refused to support demands for Africanisation of the officer ranks.<ref name="loc" />

On 1 August 1962, the Uganda Rifles was renamed the "Uganda Army".<ref>Omara-Otunnu 1987, 52.</ref> The armed forces more than doubled, from 700 personnel to 1,500, and the government created the 2nd Battalion stationed at the northeastern town of Moroto<ref name="loc" /> on 14 November 1963.<ref name="Ghosts of Kampala">Template:Cite book</ref> Omara-Otunnu wrote in 1987 that "a large number of men had been recruited into the Army to form this new battalion, and ... the new recruits were not given proper training" because the Army was already heavily committed to its various operations.<ref>Omara-Otunnu, 1987, 54.</ref>

In January 1964, following a mutiny by Tanganyikan soldiers in protest over their own Africanisation crisis, unrest spread throughout the Uganda Army.<ref name="loc" /> On 22 January 1964, soldiers of the 1st Battalion in Jinja mutinied to press their demands for a pay raise and a Ugandan officer corps.<ref name="loc" /> They also detained their British officers, several non-commissioned officers, and Minister of Interior Felix Onama, who had arrived in Jinja to represent the government's views to the rank and file.<ref name="loc" /> Obote appealed for British military support, hoping to prevent the mutiny from spreading to other parts of the country.<ref name="loc" /> About 450 British soldiers from the 2nd Battalion, The Scots Guards and Staffordshire Regiment (elements of the 24th Infantry Brigade) responded.<ref name="loc" /> They surrounded the First Battalion barracks at Jinja, seized the armory, and quelled the mutiny.<ref name="loc" /> The government responded two days later by dismissing several hundred soldiers from the army, several of whom were subsequently detained.<ref name="loc" />

Although the authorities later released many of the detained soldiers and reinstated some in the army, the mutiny marked a turning point in civil–military relations.<ref name="loc" /> The mutiny reinforced the army's political strength.<ref name="loc" /> Within weeks of the mutiny, the president's cabinet also approved a military pay raise retroactive to 1 January 1964, more than doubling the salaries of those in private to staff-sergeant ranks.<ref name="loc" /> Additionally, the government raised defense allocations by 400 percent.<ref name="loc" /> The number of Ugandan officers increased from 18 to 55.<ref name="loc" /> Two northerners, Shaban Opolot and Idi Amin, assumed command positions in the Uganda Army and later received promotions to Brigadier and commander in chief, and army chief of staff, respectively.<ref name="loc" />

Following the 1964 mutiny, the government remained fearful of internal opposition.<ref name="loc" /> Obote moved the army headquarters approximately Template:Convert from Jinja to Kampala.<ref name="loc" /> He also created a secret police force, the General Service Unit (GSU) to bolster security.<ref name="loc" /> Most GSU employees guarded government offices in and around Kampala, but some also served in overseas embassies and other locations throughout Uganda.<ref name="loc" /> When British training programs ended, Israel started training Uganda's army, air force, and GSU personnel.<ref name="loc" /> Several other countries also provided military assistance to Uganda.<ref name="loc" />

Decalo writes:<ref>Herbert Howe, Ambiguous Order: Military Forces in African States, 2005, 50, citing Samuel Decalo. Coups and Army Rule in Africa, Yale University Press (1990). Template:ISBN, p.205</ref>

using classic 'divide and rule' tactics, he [Obote] appointed different foreign military missions to each battalion, scrambled operational chains of command, played the police off against the army, encouraged personal infighting between his main military 'proteges' and removed from operational command of troops officers who appeared unreliable or too authoritative.

When Congolese aircraft bombed the West Nile villages of Paidha and Goli on 13 February 1965, Obote again increased military recruitment and doubled the army's size to more than 4,500.<ref name="loc" /> Units established included a third battalion at Mubende, a signals squadron at Jinja, and an antiaircraft detachment.<ref name="loc" /> On 1 July 1965, six units were formed: a brigade reconnaissance, an army ordnance depot (seemingly located at Magamaga),<ref>Tony Avirgan and Martha Honey, War in Uganda, Zed Press, London, UK, 1982, 31.</ref> a brigade signals squadron training wing, a records office, a pay and pensions office, and a Uganda army workshop.<ref>Amii Omara-Otunnu, Politics and the Military in Uganda 1890–1985, St. Martin's Press, New York, 1987, 72</ref><ref name="loc" />

File:Uganda Army OT-64 APC.jpg
A Uganda Army OT-64 SKOT armoured personnel carrier during a military parade in Kampala in the late 1960s

Tensions rose in the power struggle over control of the government and the army and over the relationship between the army and the Baganda people.<ref name="loc" /> During Obote's absence on 4 February 1966, a motion opposing him was introduced to parliament by Grace Ibingira, which called to suspend Amin and investigate Obote and three others (including Amin) for supposedly accepting gold and ivory from Congolese rebels.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> On 22 February, Obote arrested Ibingira and four other ministers, essentially dismantling opposition to himself in the Ugandan People's Congress.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Later, Amin was appointed Chief of the Army and Air Force Staff, while Brigadier Opolot was demoted to the Ministry of Defence as Chief of the Defence Staff.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> On 24 May 1966, Obote ousted Mutesa, assumed his office as president and commander in chief, suspended the 1962 constitution, and consolidated his control over the military by eliminating several rivals.<ref name="loc" /> In October 1966 Opolot was dismissed from the army and detained under the emergency regulations then in force.

At about the same time, Obote abrogated the constitution, revoked Buganda's autonomous status, and instructed the Army to attack the Kabaka's palace, forcing the Kabaka to flee. Elections were cancelled. Political loyalty rather than military skill became critical amongst both officers and men.<ref>E.A. Brett, "Neutralising the Use of Force in Uganda", Journal of Modern African Studies, Vol. 33, No. 1 (Mar., 1995), 136.</ref> Many educated southern officers were court-martialled or dismissed in 1966 and 1967, and ethnicity became the key factor in recruitment and promotions.

In 1970, the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) assessed the Ugandan armed forces to consist of 6,700 personnel, constituting an army of 6,250 with two brigade groups, each of two battalions, plus an independent infantry battalion, with some Ferret armoured cars, and BTR-40 and BTR-152 armoured personnel carriers, plus an air arm of 450 with 12 Fouga Magister armed jet trainers, and seven MiG-15s and MiG-17s.<ref>IISS Military Balance 1970–71, p. 53</ref>

Uganda Army of Idi Amin, 1971–1979Edit

{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}}

File:Idi Amin and Mobutu.jpeg
Idi Amin (left), dressed in military fatigues, visits the Zairian dictator Mobutu in 1977.

In January 1971, Amin and his followers within the army seized power in a coup d'état.<ref>Omara-Otunnu, 1987, 98.</ref>

Shortly after the expulsion of Asians in 1972, Obote launched a small invasion across the Tanzanian border into south-western Uganda.<ref name="loc" /> His small army contingent in 27 trucks set out to capture the southern Ugandan military post at Masaka but instead settled down to await a general uprising against Amin, which did not occur.<ref name="loc" /> A planned seizure of the airport at Entebbe by soldiers in an allegedly hijacked East African Airways passenger aircraft was aborted when Obote's pilot blew out the aircraft's tires, causing it to remain in Tanzania.<ref name="loc" /> Amin was able to mobilize his more reliable Malire Mechanised Regiment and expel the invaders.<ref name="loc" />

In 1976, during Operation Entebbe, the Israeli military destroyed 12 MiG-21s and three MiG-17s based at Entebbe Airport to prevent pursuit.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

In 1977, before the Uganda–Tanzania War, the Ugandan armed forces were reported by IISS as consisting of 20,000 land forces personnel, with two four-battalion brigades and five other battalions of various types, plus a training regiment.<ref>IISS Military Balance 1979–80, p.55</ref> There were a total of 35 T-34, T-55, and M-4 Sherman medium tanks. SIPRI assessed decades later that ten T-34s had been supplied from Libya in 1975–76.Template:Sfn An air arm was 1,000 strong with 21 MiG-21 and 10 MiG-17 combat aircraft. The IISS noted that the Uganda Army collapsed in the face of the Tanzanian onslaught and the serviceable aircraft were removed to Tanzania. Its remnants fled into exile in Zaire and Sudan, from where they launched an insurgency. Meanwhile, pro-Tanzanian rebel groups were reorganized to become Uganda's new regular military.

UNLA, 1979–1986Edit

{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}}

After the Uganda–Tanzania War, fighters available to the new government included only the fewer than 1,000 troops who had fought alongside the Tanzanian People's Defence Force (TPDF) to expel Amin.<ref name="loc" /> The army was back to the size of the original army at independence in 1962.<ref name="loc" /> Titularly, Colonel Tito Okello served as army commander and Colonel David Oyite Ojok as chief of staff,<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> leading the Uganda National Liberation Army (UNLA).

But in 1979, in an attempt to consolidate support for the future, leaders such as Yoweri Museveni and Major General (later Chief of Staff) Ojok began to enroll thousands of recruits into what were rapidly becoming their private armies.<ref name=loc>Template:Country study</ref> Museveni's 80 original soldiers grew to 8,000; Ojok's original 600 became 24,000.<ref name="loc" /> When then-President Godfrey Binaisa sought to curb the use of these militias, which were harassing and detaining political opponents, he was overthrown in a military coup on 10 May 1980.<ref name="loc" /> The coup was engineered by Ojok, Museveni, and others acting under the general direction of Paulo Muwanga, Obote's right-hand man and chair of the Military Commission.<ref name="loc" /> The TPDF was still providing necessary security while Uganda's police force—which had been decimated by Amin—was rebuilt, but President Julius Nyerere of Tanzania refused to help Binaisa retain power.<ref name="loc" /> Many Ugandans claimed that although Nyerere did not impose his own choice on Uganda, he indirectly facilitated the return to power of his old friend and ally, Obote.<ref name="loc" /> In any case, the Military Commission headed by Muwanga effectively governed Uganda during the six months leading up to the national elections of December 1980.<ref name="loc" />

A Commonwealth Military Training Team - Uganda assisted the UNLA in the early 1980s.<ref>Tom Frame (ed.), 'The Long Road: Australia's Train, Advise and Assist Missions,' University of New South Wales Press, 2017 Template:Webarchive; https://anzacportal.dva.gov.au/wars-and-missions/peacekeeping/operation-summaries/uganda-1982-1984.</ref>

After the Museveni government was formed in 1986, an NRA code of conduct, originally formulated in the bush in 1982, was made public. This was later formalized as Legal Notice No. 1 of 1986 (Amendment), and served as a basis for relations among soldiers and between the NRA and the public.Template:Sfn After the MRM victory steps were taken to institutionalize the NRA, including the setting-up of a bureaucracy; uniforms; regimental colours; training programmes; ranks; and pay and privileges.Template:Sfn A number of key Rwanda Patriotic Front personnel became part of the National Resistance Army that became Uganda's new national armed forces. Fred Rwigyema was appointed deputy minister of defense and deputy army commander-in-chief, second only to Museveni in the military chain of command for the nation. Paul Kagame was appointed acting chief of military intelligence. Other Tutsi refugees were highly placed: Peter Baingana was head of NRA medical services and Chris Bunyenyezi was the commander of the 306th Brigade.<ref name=mamdani172-173>Mahmood Mamdani, When Victims Become Killers: Colonialism, Nativism, and the Genocide in Rwanda, Princeton University Press, 2001, Template:ISBN, pp. 172–173</ref> Tutsi refugees formed a disproportionate number of NRA officers for the simple reason that they had joined the rebellion early and thus had accumulated more experience.<ref name=mamdani172-173/>

Uganda Peoples' Defence Force, 1995 to presentEdit

The NRA had been successful in its war, and its senior military officers held key political positions in the NRM. It was reduced in size under pressure from donors, unwilling to fund either an outsize army or civil service. Between 1990 and 1996 the army was reduced from 100,000 to 40,000, and the civil service from 320,000 to 156,000.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> Yet the defence budget rose from $44 million in 1991 as far as $200 million in 2004. Somerville ascribes the budget rise to the rebellion in the north, Uganda's military intervention in the Congo, and "massive corruption" - 'ghost soldiers' who did not exist, whose (real) salaries were claimed by senior officers.<ref>Keith Somerville, "Africa's Long Road Since Independence," Penguin, 207, 305.</ref>

The National Resistance Army was renamed the Uganda People's Defence Force following the enactment of the 1995 Constitution of Uganda.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

UPDF's primary focus was the conflict with the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), a rebel group operating in the country's northern region. Since March 2002, UPDF has been granted permission to carry out operations against LRA bases across the border in South Sudan. These raids, collectively known as Operation Iron Fist, have resulted in the repatriation of many abducted children being held by the rebels as child soldiers or sex slaves. The LRA has fled Uganda and been pushed deep into the jungles of the Central African Republic and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) (principally Orientale Province).

The UPDF has also been the subject of controversy for having a minimum age for service of 13.<ref>CIA World Factbook, [1], March 2012</ref> Many international organizations have condemned this as being military use of children. This has created an image problem for the UPDF and may have impacted the international aid Uganda receives. Western nations have sent a limited level of military aid to Uganda.<ref>Uganda: Child soldiers at centre of mounting humanitarian crisis Template:Webarchive</ref> "Between 1990 and 2002, the army payroll had at least 18,000 ghost soldiers, according to a report by General David Tinyefuza."<ref>Joshua Kato, "Assessing the cost of an army", Sunday Vision, 30 June 2006 Template:Webarchive</ref>

The problem continued in 2003, when there was a severe problem of "ghost" soldiers within the UPDF.<ref>The Weekly Observer, Committee wants death penalty for ghost creators Template:Webarchive, 2005</ref> As of 2008, these personnel problems has been exacerbated by the surge of UPDF troops resigning to work with the Coalition Forces in Iraq.<ref>Iraq Ugandan Guards Face Abuse, accessed December 2008 Template:Webarchive</ref> They mostly work as an additional guard force at control points and dining facilities, for example.

Prior to 2000, the United States armed forces trained together with the UPDF as part of the African Crisis Response Initiative. This cooperation was terminated in 2000 because of Uganda's incursion into the DRC. Following the June 2003 UPDF withdrawal of troops from the DRC, limited nonlethal military assistance has restarted. The UPDF participates in the African Contingency Operations Training and Assistance programme with the United States.

After several interventions in the Congo, the UPDF was involved in a further incursion there, from December 2008 stretching into February 2009, against the LRA in the Garamba area. UPDF special forces and artillery, supported by aircraft, were joined by the DRC's armed forces and elements of the Sudan People's Liberation Army. Called "Operation Lightning Thunder" by the UPDF, it was commanded by Brigadier Patrick Kankiriho, commander of the 3rd Division.<ref>Monitor (Kampala), UPDF commanders behind Operation Lightning Thunder, 20 December 2008 Template:Webarchive</ref><ref>Bantariza moved in new UPDF reshuffle, February 2009 Template:Webarchive</ref>

In February 2023, President Museveni warned the UPDF against brutality towards civilians, and corruption.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Recent operationsEdit

African Union Mission in SomaliaEdit

File:2017 04 Uganda CDF AMISOM FC Visit Barawe-6 (32103511035).jpg
Ugandan Chief of Defence Forces General Katumba Wamala with Ugandan soldiers as part of AMISOM in 2017

The UPDF has more than 6,200 soldiers serving with the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM).<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The AMISOM force commander is Kenyan Lieutenant General Jonathan Rono.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The force commander in 2009, Ugandan Major General Nathan Mugisha, was wounded in a car bomb attack on 17 September 2009 that left nine soldiers dead,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> including Burundian Major General Juvenal Niyoyunguruza, the second in command.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

The United States has provided extensive training for UPDF contingents headed for Somalia. In the first half of 2012, Force Recon Marines from Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force 12 (SPMAGTF-12) trained soldiers from the UPDF.<ref>Nick Turse, The Election Year Outsourcing No One's Talking About: The U.S. Fighting Proxy Wars Around the Globe Template:Webarchive TomDespatch.com/Alternet.org, 13 August 2012</ref>

In addition, a significant amount of support to AMISOM has been provided by private companies. "Bancroft Global Development, headquartered on Washington's Embassy Row, employs about 40 South African and European trainers who work with [AMISOM's] Ugandan and Burundian troops."<ref>Kevin J. Kelley, Somalia: How 'Quiet Americans' Helped Defeat Al Shabaab, Garoweonline.com, 22 Aug 2011.</ref> Bancroft director Michael Stock told The EastAfrican that these mentors are embedded with AMISOM units in Mogadishu and southern and central Somalia. They coach commanders on how to predict and defeat the tactics which foreign fighters bring from outside East Africa and teach to al-Shabaab.<ref name="Ghosts of Kampala"/>

On 12 August 2012, two Ugandan Mil Mi-24s flying from Entebbe across Kenya to Somalia crashed in rugged terrain in Kenya. They were found two days later, burned out, with no likely survivors from the ten Ugandan servicemen on board the two helicopters. Another aircraft from the same flight crashed on Mount Kenya, and all seven Ugandan servicemen on board were rescued a day later. The aircraft were supporting AMISOM in the ongoing Somali Civil War. An accompanying Mil Mi-17 transport helicopter landed without problems in the eastern Kenyan town of Garissa near the Somali border for a scheduled refuelling stop.<ref>Burnt wreckage of two Ugandan army helicopters found Template:Webarchive, Agence France-Presse via SpaceWar.com, 14 October 2012, accessed 15 August 2012</ref>

In August 2014, AMISOM launched Operation Indian Ocean against al-Shabaab in Lower Shabelle and other coastal areas of southcentral Somalia.<ref name="Spsgdncfmaep">Template:Cite news</ref> On 1 September 2014, a U.S. drone strike carried out as part of the broader mission killed Al-Shabaab leader Moktar Ali Zubeyr.<ref name="Pcdostl">Template:Cite news</ref> According to Pentagon spokesperson Admiral John Kirby, the Ugandan AMISOM forces had informed U.S. intelligence about where Godane and other Al-Shabaab leaders were meeting and provided information on a convoy of vehicles in which he was traveling.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Al-Shabaab subsequently threatened an attack in Uganda for the UPDF contingent's role within AMISOM and the strike on Godane.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The Ugandan security services, with the assistance of the U.S. military and intelligence, then identified and foiled a major Al-Shabaab terrorist attack in the Ugandan capital Kampala. They recovered suicide vests, other explosives, and small arms and detained Al-Shabaab operatives.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

On 10 August 2021 Ugandan AMISOM soldiers were ambushed by Al-Shabab near Golweyn in Lower Shabelle. A gunfight ensued in which one UPDF soldier died. But after the gunfight with the insurgents the Ugandan troops allegedly killed 7 Somali civilians. AMISOM immediately launched an investigation that will report its findings on 6 September 2021.<ref>AMISOM launches investigation into Golweyn incident in the Lower Shabelle Region, AMISOM Press release PR/20/2021, 11 August 2021. Only a few days later, this Press Release was deleted from the AMISOM website.</ref><ref>AMISOM commits to swift and transparent inquiry into golweyn incident, AMISOM Press release PR/21/2021, 21 August 2021.</ref><ref>Somali Governor Says AU Soldiers Killed Civilians After Al-Shabab Ambush, VOA -News (Voice of America), 16 August 2021.</ref><ref>Somali Governor Accuses AU Soldiers of Killing Civilians After Al-Shabaab Ambush Template:Webarchive, NewsCentral TV, 17 August 2021.</ref><ref>AMISOM Probing Alleged Death Of Civilians At Hands Of Uganda People's Defense Forces In Somalia, Shahidi News, Kenya, 12 August 2021.</ref><ref>AMISOM: "Toddobadii qof ee aan ku dilnay deegaanka Golweyn ma ahayn Al-Shabaab" (AMISOM: "The seven people we killed in Golweyn were not Al-Shabaab"), BBC, 22 August 2021.</ref>Template:Update inline

African Union Regional Task ForceEdit

In November 2011, the Peace and Security Council of the African Union (AU) authorized a Regional Co-operation Initiative (RCI) for eliminating the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA). The LRA had been forced out of Uganda and was roaming remote areas of (what is now) South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), and the Central African Republic (CAR). The RCI was planned to consist of three elements: a Joint Co-ordination Mechanism chaired by the AU Commissioner for Peace and Security and made up of the Ministers of Defence of the four affected countries (Uganda, South Sudan, the DRC, and the CAR); a Regional Task Force Headquarters; and, the Regional Task Force (RTF) of up to 5,000 troops from the four countries.<ref>African Union, 2015, The African Union-Led Regional Task Force for the elimination of the LRA, African Union Peace and Security, last updated 23 November 2015, accessed 2 January 2017, http://www.peaceau.org/en/page/100-au-led-rci-lra-1 Template:Webarchive</ref>

United States special forces were already assisting Ugandan forces in their operations against the LRA in the DRC and the CAR.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 2014, these forces were still assisting the RTF.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

The RTF started to take form in September 2012. By February 2013, the RTF had 3,350 soldiers and had finished deploying to the three sectors envisioned, with bases at Dungu, Obo, and Nzara (South Sudan).<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

The RTF headquarters is at Yambio in South Sudan. The first Force Commander was Ugandan Colonel Dick Olum and the Deputy Force Commander was Colonel Gabriel Ayok Akuok.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

RTF operations, however, were plagued with difficulties, including the fact that Ugandan forces were restricted from operating in the DRC.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

In October 2014, RTF Commander Brigadier Sam Kavuma was deployed to Somalia<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and his place taken by Brigadier Lucky Kidega<ref name="Who">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> By March 2016, the Ugandan RTF Commander was Colonel Richard Otto.<ref>Tumwesigye, Capt. Stephen, 2016, Dominic Ongwen's Accomplice Escapes Death, Tarehe Sita (The Uganda Peoples' Defence Forces Magazine) vol. 29, no. 3, March 2016, pp. 26–27.</ref>

During January 2016, UPDF 11 Battalion was based with the RTF in the CAR.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In mid-2016, it was reported that Uganda would withdraw its contribution to the RTF by the end of the year.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

South Sudan Civil WarEdit

December 2013: Uganda reportedly deploys troops to Juba to evacuate Ugandan nationals following outbreak of fighting.

13 January 2014: President Museveni speaks of battle 90 km south of Bor involving UPDF.

16 January 2014: Colonel Kayanja Muhanga announced as UPDF force commander in South Sudan.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

January 2014: Ambush and battle reported at Tabakeka, a few kilometres outside Bor, with nine UPDF fatalities and 46 wounded.

22 January 2014: Updated casualty report says nine UPDF dead and a dozen wounded, including: Captain Celistine Egau, Sergeant Santos Ochen, Private Richard Oyaka and Private Arthur Mbagira.

9 February 2014: Colonel Kayanja Muhanga, Officer Commanding "Zulu Task Force", promoted to Brigadier.

21 October 2015: First re-deployment of troops out of South Sudan, from forward base in Bor, about 190 km north of Juba.

9 December 2015: Mention of c. 3000 men from South Sudan in seven battalions registering late for upcoming Ugandan election.

14-18 July 2016: Ugandan forces under Brigadier Kayanja Muhanga undertake Operation Okoa Wanaichi in South Sudan, "successfully evacuating up to 40,000 Ugandans and 100 other nationalities who were fleeing the fighting."<ref>'Sum up of the South Sudan Evacuation Mission,' MOD Uganda website, 5 August 2016, accessed 12 August 2016, MOD Latest News Template:Dead link></ref>

UN Guard Unit, SomaliaEdit

The UN Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM) was established on 3 June 2013 by UN Security Council Resolution 2102 and works alongside AMISOM in Somalia. In 2014 it was decided the mission needed a guard unit to secure and protect UN personnel and their installations in Somalia. Uganda has provided this unit, initially of 410 personnel, since 2014. The United Nations Guard Unit, or UNGU, is based at Mogadishu Airport.<ref>'UN Guard Unit begins work in Mogadishu', Relief Web, 18 May 2014 https://reliefweb.int/report/somalia/un-guard-unit-begins-work-mogadishu Template:Webarchive</ref><ref>'UN-UPDF Guard Units Sets Off For Somalia', Red Pepper, 17 April 2014, http://www.redpepper.co.ug/un-updf-guard-units-sets-off-for-somalia/ Template:Webarchive</ref><ref>'AMISOM commends Ugandan UN battalion after a tour of duty in Somalia', AMISOM News, 27 June 2016.</ref><ref>'Forces welcomed from Somalia', Ministry of Defence and Veteran's Affairs Uganda, 5 August 2016, MOD Latest NewsTemplate:Webarchive</ref><ref>'UN Guard Unit members complete one-year tour of duty in Somalia', UNSOM News (UN Assistance Mission in Somalia), 18 July 2017, https://unsom.unmissions.org/un-guard-unit-members-complete-one-year-tour-duty-somalia</ref>

Uganda Military Training and Mentoring Team, Equatorial GuineaEdit

During February 2017 Uganda deployed a UPDF team to Equatorial Guinea to assist in the training of that country's armed forces.<ref>Binnie, J. (2019) Uganda reveals size of training mission in Equatorial Guinea, Jane's Defence Weekly, 23 January 2019.</ref> The second contingent of 248 personnel was welcomed back in Uganda in January 2019 when a third team was dispatched.<ref>'UPDF Troops Welcomed from Equatorial Guinea and Somalia', Ministry of Defence and Veterans' Affairs Uganda, 22 January 2019, MOD Latest NewsTemplate:Webarchive</ref> The foreign mission is known as the Uganda Military Training and Mentoring Team, abbreviated as UMTMT.

  • UMTMT 1 – 100–150 personnel; deployed February 2017
  • UMTMT 2 – 248 personnel; until January 2019
  • UMTMT 3 – Deployed January 2019
  • UMTMT 4
  • UMTMT 5 (Col. James Kato Kalyebara) - completed 'post-mission ideological training course' during January 2022.<ref>'Battle Group XXXI and Military Training Team Complete Post Mission Ideological Training', UPDF website, 15 January 2022, <http://www.defence.go.ug/home/newsandevents/71.0 Template:Webarchive></ref>

Command and organisationEdit

Training schoolsEdit

The UPDF has the following training schools:<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

  • Senior Command and Staff College, Kimaka (Maj Gen George Igumba)
  • Junior Staff College, Jinja (Brig Gen Chris Ogwal)
  • Uganda Military Academy, Kabamba (Brig Gen Wycliffe Keita)
  • Uganda Military Engineering College (University Military Science & Technology, Lugazi)
  • College of Logistics and Engineering (COLE) (Magamaga - Mayuge District. 91 km East of Kampala)
  • Oliver Tambo Leadership School, Kawaweta, (Col Justus Rukundo) Nakaseke District<ref name="ReferenceB">Oliver Tambo Leadership School Located at Kaweweta, Nakaseke District Template:Webarchive</ref><ref name="sundayvision.co.ug">South Africa Donates Equipment to Oliver Tambo School Template:Webarchive</ref>
  • Armoured Warfare Training School, Karama Mubende (Brig Gen Peter Chandia)
  • Singo Peace Support Training Centre (Brig Gen John Patrick Otongo)
  • Kaweweta Recruits Training School (Brig Gen Bonny Walimbwa)
  • National Leadership Institute Kyankwanzi
  • Bihanga Military Training School, Ibanda (Brig Gen Godfrey Golooba)
  • Hima Training School, Kasese
  • Anti-terrorism Centre (Major General Fred Mugisha)
  • Uganda Rapid Deployment Capability, Jinja ()
  • Uganda Air Defence and Artillery School, Nakasongola, Nakasongola District
  • Uganda Air Force Academy, Nakasongola, Nakasongola District<ref name="About Uganda Airforce Academy">About Uganda Airforce Academy</ref>
  • Uganda Urban Warfare Training School, Singo, Nakaseke District<ref name="auto4">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Land ForceEdit

File:Soldiers from the Ugandan Contingent in the front line (6242739611).jpg
A Ugandan soldier in 2011

The organisation of the land force was reported in 2015 to be as follows:<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

  • Five division headquarters
  • One armoured brigade
  • One motorised infantry brigade
  • One tank battalion
  • Presidential Guard brigade
  • One engineer brigade
  • One commando battalion
  • 5 infantry divisions (total: 16 infantry brigades)
  • One artillery brigade
  • Two air defence battalions

DivisionsEdit

File:2014 03 06 AMISOM Tank Crew-1 (12992994985).jpg
A Ugandan T-55 on deployment as part of AMISOM in 2014

The divisions are:

  • First Division: Kakiri, Wakiso District.
  • Second Division: Makenke Barracks, Mbarara (Brigadier Peter Elewelu). It is composed of three brigades and four auxiliary battalions, according to the website of the Ministry of Defence Uganda. This division, according to afdevinfo.com, includes the divisional headquarters at Mbarara; the 13th, 17th, 69th, 73rd, and 77th battalions; the Rwenzori Mountain Alpine Brigade; possibly another Alpine brigade; and the 3rd Tank Battalion. The division has been heavily involved with border operations since the Congo Civil War began in the 1990s. Brigadier Peter Elwelu took command in a ceremony on 17 July 2013. He had been appointed in June 2013.<ref name=Turyakira>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

  • Third Division: Moroto (Brigadier Dick Olum). Before 2013, the Third Division headquarters was reported to be at Mbale.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

  • Fourth Division: Gulu District (Brigadier Kayanja Muhanga, until December 2016 when he took command of the Ugandan contingent with AMISOM in Somalia).<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref> James Kazini served with this division in 1996–99.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}Template:Dead link</ref><ref name="admissions.co.ug">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

  • Fifth Division: Lira (Brigadier Sam Kavuma). Created in August 2002.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> As of 2013, the division appears to include the 401 Brigade.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

  • Field Artillery Division: Masindi (Brigadier Sam Okiding, who was Ugandan Contingent Commander with AMISOM, 2015–16)<ref name="admissions.co.ug"/>
  • Air Defence Division: Nakasongala (Brigadier Garvas Mugyenyi since May 2013)

BrigadesEdit

  • Armoured Brigade: Kasijjagirwa Barracks, Masaka (Brigadier Joseph M. Ssemwanga)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

  • Motorised Infantry Brigade: Nakasongola (Brigadier Tumusiime Katsigazi). Formed in September 2002 and is composed of three motorized infantry battalions.<ref>Ministry of Defence Uganda, UPDF Motorised Infantry, accessed 14 June 2016, Land Forces Template:Webarchive>. Note this website's pages now (7 January 2017) appears to have restricted access.</ref>
  • 209 Brigade
  • 301 Brigade<ref>Allio, Emmy (2005) 'New Tricks for LRA—Kulaigye', New Vision (Kampala), 17 December 2005.</ref>
  • 302 Brigade<ref name="Kasasira, R. 2016">Kasasira, R. & Kasozi, E. (2016) Tracing Karuhanga's 30-Year Service, The Monitor (Kampala), 23 April 2016.</ref>
  • 303 Brigade
  • 305 Brigade<ref>Cooper, Tom (2013) Africa@War Volume 14: Great Lakes Conflagration – The Second Congo War, 1998–2003, Helion & Co Ltd, England, and Thirty Degrees South Publishers Pty Ltd, Johannesburg.</ref>
  • 307 Brigade, Mburamizi, Kihihi, Kanungu District.<ref>Nabaasa, C. & Kinene, E. (2016) UPDF Officer in Army Court for Killing Eight People in Kanungu, The Monitor (Kampala), 6 June 2016.</ref><ref>Ssekweyama, M.E. (2016) 'Two Soldiers Killed Inside Masaka Army Barracks', The Monitor (Kampala), 7 July 2016.</ref> Formed in June 2001 in Ntungamo District, when it included the 69 Battalion.
  • 401 Brigade, Lira/ Pader<ref>'UPDF Commander Brig. Kankiriho Passes On', New Vision (Kampala), 8 April 2013.</ref>
  • 403 Brigade, Kitgum,<ref>Apunyo, H. (2011) 'Mystery Surrounds Soldier's Death', The Monitor (Kampala), 9 May 2011.</ref> later Matany, Napak District, as a component of 3 Division<ref name="updf.go.ug">'CDF Commissions Homes for 505 & 403 Infantry Brigades', UPDF website, 20 June 2021, accessed 21 July 2021 <https://www.updf.go.ug/CDF_Commissions_Homes_for_505_and_403_Infantry_Brigades.php Template:Webarchive></ref>
  • 405 Brigade, Kotido<ref name="Kasasira, R. 2016"/>
  • 407 Brigade<ref name="Kasasira, R. 2016"/>
  • 409 Brigade, West Nile
  • 503 Brigade, Gang-Dyang, Kitgum.<ref>'New names, ranks in UPDF reshuffle', The Observer (Kampala), 29 January 2012.</ref>
  • 505 Brigade, Pajimu, Kitgum District, a component of 5 Division.<ref name="updf.go.ug"/>
  • 507 Alpine Brigade, Kasese.<ref>'New Guard Takes Charge of UPDF in New Changes', The Observer (Kampala), 29 May 2013.</ref><ref>'Ugandan forces suffer first casualties with five men killed', The Monitor (Kampala), 18 August 2016, accessed 10 April 2018, http://www.monitor.co.ug/SpecialReports/Ugandan-forces-suffer-first-casualties-with-five-men-killed/688342-3348466-14u6vph/index.html Template:Webarchive</ref>
  • 509 Brigade, Pader.
  • 601 Brigade

Army equipmentEdit

FirearmsEdit

Small arms
Name Image Caliber Type Origin
Pistols
TT-33<ref name="jones2009"/> File:TT33.JPG 7.62×25mm Semi-automatic pistol Template:Flag
PM<ref name="jones2009">Jones, Richard D. Jane's Infantry Weapons 2009/2010. Jane's Information Group; 35 edition (January 27, 2009). Template:ISBN.</ref> File:Пистолет Макарова.png 9×18mm Semi-automatic pistol Template:Flag
Browning Hi-Power<ref name="jones2009"/> File:FN Hi Power.jpg 9×19mm Semi-automatic pistol Template:Flag
Submachine guns
Sten<ref name="jones2009"/> File:STEN MK II submachinegun.png 9×19mm Submachine gun Template:Flag
Sterling<ref name="jones2009"/> File:Sterling SMG.JPG 9×19mm Submachine gun Template:Flag
Škorpion<ref name="jones2009"/> File:Skorpion PICT0105.jpg .32 ACP Submachine gun Template:Flag
Uzi<ref name="jones2009"/> File:Uzi of the israeli armed forces noBG.png 9×19mm Submachine gun Template:Flag
Rifles
SKS<ref name="jones2009"/> File:Simonov-SKS-45.JPG 7.62×39mm Semi-automatic rifle Template:Flag
AKM<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> File:AKM automatkarbin Ryssland - 7,62x39mm - Armémuseum rightside noBG.png 7.62×39mm Assault rifle Template:Flag
PM md. 63<ref name='SAS 2006 11'>Template:Cite book</ref> File:PMmd.1963.jpg 7.62×39mm Assault rifle Template:Flag
Type 56<ref name='SAS 2006 11'/> File:Type 56 mod02 noBG.png 7.62×39mm Assault rifle Template:Flag
Type 81<ref name='SAS 2006 11'/> File:Canadian civilian version of Type 81 automatic rifle noBG.png 7.62×39mm Assault rifle Template:Flag
IMI Galil<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

File:Galil noBG.png 5.56×45mm Assault rifle Template:Flag
IWI Galil ACE<ref name="NMAA">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

File:IWI 3686.jpg 7.62×39mm Assault rifle Template:Flag
M16<ref name="ewen2005">Jane's Special Forces Recognition Guide, Ewen Southby-Tailyour (2005) p. 446.</ref> File:M16A2 rightside noBG.jpg 5.56×45 mm Assault rifle Template:Flag
M4<ref name="NMAA"/> File:PEO M4 Carbine RAS M68 CCO.png 5.56×45mm Carbine
Assault rifle 		Template:Flag
IWI Tavor<ref name="jones2009"/> File:IWI-Tavor-TAR-21w1 new noBG.png 5.56×45mm Bullpup
Assault rifle 		Template:Flag
FN FAL<ref name="jones2009"/> File:FN-FAL belgian noBG.png 7.62×51mm Battle rifle Template:Flag
Heckler & Koch G3<ref name="jones2009"/> File:H&K G3FS.jpg 7.62×51mm Battle rifle Template:Flag
Lee-Enfield File:SMLE-No4-Mk1.png .303 British Bolt-action rifle Template:Flag
Sniper rifles
PSL<ref name="jones2009"/> File:Psl sniper rifle.jpeg 7.62×54mmR Designated marksman rifle
Sniper rifle 		Template:Flag
Machine guns
Bren<ref name="jones2009"/> File:Bren1.jpg 7.62×51mm Light machine gun Template:Flag
DP-27<ref name="jones2009"/> File:DEGTYAREV DP 28.jpg 7.62×54mmR Light machine gun Template:Flag
RPD<ref name="jones2009"/> File:LMG-RPD-44 noBG.png 7.62×39mm Squad automatic weapon Template:Flag
RPK<ref name="jones2009"/> File:7.62mm light machine gun RPK.png 7.62×39mm Squad automatic weapon Template:Flag
PKM<ref name="jones2009"/> File:7,62 KK PKM Helsinki 2012 no background.JPG 7.62×54mmR General-purpose machine gun Template:Flag
M60<ref name="jones2009"/> File:M60 Medium Machine Gun (7414626098).jpg 7.62×51mm General-purpose machine gun Template:Flag
DShK<ref name="jones2009"/> File:12,7-мм станковый пулемёт ДШК образца 1938 года.jpg 12.7×108mm Heavy machine gun Template:Flag
Rocket propelled grenade launchers
RPG-7<ref name="jones2009"/> File:Rpg-7.jpg 40mm Rocket-propelled grenade Template:Flag
RPG-2 RPG2 and PG2 TBiU 37 40mm Rocket-propelled grenade Template:Flag
Grenade launchers
QLZ-87 File:Type 87 Grenade Launcher.jpg 35×32mm Automatic grenade launcher Template:Flag

Antitank weaponsEdit

Anti-tank weapons
Name Image Caliber Type Origin
9M14 Malyutka<ref name="2017b">International Institute for Strategic Studies, The Military Balance, 2017</ref> File:Malyutka.JPG Anti-tank weapon Template:Flag
9M133 Kornet<ref name="portal.sipri.org">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

File:Корнет - Контрольная проверка курсантов Учебного центра боевого применения ракетных войск и артиллерии 03.jpg 1,000 Kornet-E in service. Anti-tank weapon Template:Flag

VehiclesEdit

TanksEdit

Tanks
Name Image Type Origin Quantity Status
T-90S File:Indian Army T-90.jpg Main battle tank Template:Flag citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref><ref name="janes.com">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

CitationClass=web

}}</ref><ref name="Yoweri K Museveni">Template:Cite tweet</ref>

T-72A/B1 File:OpenWater2017qualifying-27.jpg Main battle tank Template:Flag 50Template:SfnTemplate:Efn
T-55 File:6765 - Moscow - Poklonnaya Hill - Tank.JPG Medium tank Template:Flag 140<ref>The Military Balance, 2023, p. 485</ref>
T-54 File:Front view of a T-54 tank.JPEG Medium tank Template:Flag
PT-76 File:ParkPatriot2015part2-40.jpg Amphibious Light tank Template:Flag citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

Type 85-II-M File:Chinese Type 85-ІІІ Tank.jpg Main battle tank Template:Flag citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref><ref name="janes.com"/><ref name="IISS2018_p493">International Institute for Strategic Studies: The Military Balance 2018, p. 493.</ref>

Armoured carsEdit

Reconnaissance
Name Image Type Origin Quantity Status
Eland-90 File:Eland Armoured Vehicle.jpg Armoured car Template:Flag 40<ref name=SurviveRide>Template:Cite book</ref>
Alvis Saladin File:Alvis Saladin spotted at O'Sheas Pub & Grill (310 Grapevine Hwy Hurst, TX 76054) spotted on April 7, 2013.JPG Armored car Template:Flag citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

Infantry fighting vehiclesEdit

Name Image Type Origin Quantity Status
BVP-2 File:BVP-2 military parade Prague.jpg Infantry fighting vehicle Template:FlagTemplate:Efn 41<ref name="trade"/>
BMP-2 File:BMP-2 01.jpg Infantry fighting vehicle Template:FlagTemplate:Efn 31<ref name="trade"/>

Armoured reconnaisanceEdit

Scout cars
Name Image Type Origin Quantity Status
BRDM-2 File:BRDM-2 (1964) owned by James Stewart pic7.JPG Amphibious armored scout car Template:Flag 100Template:Sfn
Daimler Ferret File:Daimler Ferret Mk1 Liaison (1959) owned by Clive Garton pic1.JPG Armored car Scout car Template:Flag 15Template:Sfn

Armoured personnel carriersEdit

Armored personnel carriers
Name Image Type Origin Quantity Status
BTR-60 File:BTR-60 pic-004.JPG Amphibious Armored personnel carrier Template:Flag citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

OT-64 SKOT File:OT-64 SKOT.jpg Amphibious Armored personnel carrier Template:Flag 4<ref name=ISS/>
Mamba File:SANDF Armed Forces Day 2017 - South African Army Mamba MkIII APC (32203158584).jpg Armored personnel carrier Template:Flag 15<ref name="trade"/>
RG-31 Nyala File:RG-31.JPG Infantry mobility vehicle Template:Flag 15Template:Sfn
Buffel File:Bulldog armored personnel carrier.jpg Infantry mobility vehicle Template:Flag 20<ref name=congo/>

MRAPsEdit

Mine-resistant ambush protected
Name Image Type Origin Quantity Status
Casspir File:Mechem Casspir Mk II (9686200019).jpg MRAP Template:Flag 42<ref name=trade/> INSTemplate:Efn

Engineering vehiclesEdit

Engineering vehicles
Name Image Type Origin Quantity Status
VT-55A File:BAHNA 2018 - 215.jpg Armored recovery vehicle Template:Flag
Template:Flag 		Unknown

Utility vehiclesEdit

Utility vehicles
Name Image Type Origin Quantity Status
Humvee File:2015 MCAS Beaufort Air Show 041215-M-CG676-161.jpg Light utility vehicle Template:Flag Unknown<ref name="armyweapons2011">Template:Cite report</ref>
Trucks
SAMIL File:Samil 100 (9672952081).jpg Utility truck Template:Flag citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

Tatra 813 File:Tatra 813 KOLOS 1.jpg Utility truck Template:Flag Unknown
Tatra 815-7 File:BAHNA 2018 - 434 crop.jpg Utility truck Template:Flag Unknown

ArtilleryEdit

Artillery
Name Image Type Origin Quantity Status
Self-propelled artillery
ATMOS 2000 File:Atmos 2000.jpg Self-propelled artillery Template:Flag 6Template:Sfn
Rocket artillery
BM-21 Grad File:BM-21 Grad (04).jpg Multiple rocket launcher Template:Flag 6
RM-70 File:BAHNA 2018 - 134 crop.jpg Multiple rocket launcher Template:Flag 6Template:Sfn
Mortars
Type 53 File:Zagan 82 mm moździerz wz 37.jpg Mortar Template:Flag
Template:Flag 		Unknown<ref name="Janes 1992">Template:Cite encyclopedia</ref>
Cardom File:Cardom Mortar - Right Side View at ADAS 2018.jpg Mortar Template:Flag 18Template:Sfn
Field artillery
M-46 File:130 K 54 Torpin Tykit 1.JPG Field gun Template:FlagTemplate:Efn 8<ref name=trade/>
M-30 File:Belgrade Military Museum - M-30 122 mm howitzer.JPG Howitzer Template:FlagTemplate:Efn 18Template:Sfn

Air defenseEdit

Man-portable air-defense systems
Name Image Type Origin Quantity Status
9K32 Strela-2 File:SA-7.jpg MANPADS Template:Flag <ref name="2018b">Template:Cite journal</ref>
Towed anti-aircraft guns
Name Image Type Origin Quantity Status
ZPU-4 File:ZPU-4 DM-SC-91-12077.JPEG Anti-aircraft gun Template:Flag Unknown
ZU-23-2 File:MsSVU39.jpg Autocannon Template:Flag 5
61-K File:61-K anti-aircraft gun, 2007.jpg Autocannon Template:Flag 20Template:Sfn
Surface-to-air missile systems
Name Image Type Origin Quantity Status
S-125 Neva File:ЗРК С-125М с ЗУР 5В27Д - Парка Патриот 01.jpg Surface-to-air missile Template:Flag 4
9K31 Strela-1 File:SA-9 Gaskin.JPG Surface-to-air missile Template:Flag Unknown

Previous equipment included the M4 Sherman tank. SIPRI trade registers indicated transfer of at least 12 vehicles,Template:Sfn and in 1999, another source listed 3 Shermans in service.<ref name="handbook">Template:Cite book</ref>

Air ForceEdit

{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}}

File:Roundel of Uganda - Type 1.svg
Uganda People's Defence Air Force roundel

The Uganda Army Air Force (UAAF) was established in 1964 with Israeli aid. Its first aircraft was consequently of Israeli origin, and its initial pilots trained in Israel. As Uganda's government forged closer links with the Eastern Bloc, the UAAF began to acquire more aircraft as well as support in training from the Soviet Union, Czechoslovakia, and Libya. Israeli aid initially continued as well.

By late 1978, the UAAF was commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Christopher GoreTemplate:Sfn and consisted of several dozen MiG-21MFs, MiG-21UMs, MiG-17s,Template:Sfn and MiG-15UTIs. Some of the available aircraft were not combat-ready, however, and were abandoned during the Uganda–Tanzania War without seeing action.Template:Sfn The lack of spare parts especially affected the MiG-15s and MiG-17s.Template:Sfn The UAAF was split into three fighter squadrons.Template:Sfn However the force was effectively wiped out during the 1978-1979 air campaign of the Uganda-Tanzania War.

There are conflicting reports on what aircraft the Ugandan Air Force has in service as of 2019–2020. Lieutenant General Charles Lwanga Lutaaya, is the commander.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

In 2011, Emmanuel Tumusiime-Mutebile, the central bank governor, caused large volatility in the Ugandan shilling when he told the Financial Times that President Museveni had ignored technical advice against using Uganda's small foreign exchange reserves to buy new Sukhoi Su-30 fighter aircraft.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

InventoryEdit

File:Uganda People's Defence Force Air Wing Sukhoi Su-30MK2 MTI-1.jpg
A Sukhoi Su-30MK2 taxiing
File:Uganda People's Defence Force Air Wing Bell 206B JetRanger II MTI-1.jpg
A Bell 206 helicopter landing
Aircraft Origin Type Variant In service Notes
Combat Aircraft
MiG-21 Soviet Union fighter 5<ref name="World Air Forces 2023">Template:Cite news</ref> .
Sukhoi Su-30 Russia multirole Su-30MK2 5<ref name="World Air Forces 2023"/>
Transport
Cessna 208 United States utility / transport 2<ref name="World Air Forces 2023"/>
Short Skyvan United Kingdom utility / transport 1<ref name="World Air Forces 2023"/>
Helicopters
Bell 206 United States utility 5<ref name="World Air Forces 2023"/>
Bell UH-1 United States utility UH-1H 5<ref name="World Air Forces 2023"/> citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

Mil Mi-17 Russia utility 10<ref name="World Air Forces 2023"/>
Mil Mi-24 Russia attack Mi-35 5<ref name="World Air Forces 2023"/>
Mil Mi-28 Russia attack 3+<ref>Template:Cite report</ref>
Trainer Aircraft
Aero L-39 Czech Republic jet trainer 8<ref name="World Air Forces 2023"/>
SIAI-Marchetti SF.260 Italy basic trainer 4<ref name="World Air Forces 2023"/>

NotesEdit

Template:Notelist

See alsoEdit

ReferencesEdit

Template:Reflist

  • {{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}

BibliographyEdit

Template:Sister project

  • Template:Cite journal
  • Abbott, P. & Ruggeri, R., Modern African Wars (4): The Congo 1960–2002, Men-at-Arms Series 492, Osprey Publishing, London, 2014.
  • Amii Omara-Otunnu, Politics and the Military in Uganda 1890-1985, St. Martin's Press, New York, 1987.
  • Template:Cite book
  • Cooper, Tom, Africa@War Volume 14: Great Lakes Conflagration – The Second Congo War, 1998–2003, Helion & Co Ltd, England, and Thirty Degrees South Publishers Pty Ltd, Johannesburg, 2013.
  • Template:Cite book
  • Oloya, Opiyo, Black Hawks Rising: The Story of AMISOM's Successful War Against Somali Insurgents 2007-2014, Helion & Co Ltd, Solihull, England, 2016. Template:ISBN
  • Template:Cite book
  • Prunier, Gérard, Africa's World War: Congo, The Rwandan Genocide and the Making of a Continental Catastrophe, Oxford University Press, London, 2009. Template:ISBN
  • Template:Cite book
  • Template:Cite book
  • Template:Cite book

Further readingEdit

Template:Uganda topics Template:Military of Africa

Template:Authority control

Retrieved from "https://zalansite.site/mediawiki/index.php?title=Uganda_People%27s_Defence_Force&oldid=37794"