UPDF to introduce doctorate degree in defence, security studies
UPDF officers jubilate following their graduation from Makerere University last Friday. They later had a luncheon at Ndere Centre in Kisaasi, a Kampala suburb. PHOTO | STEPHEN OTAGE
What you need to know:
- While officiating at the luncheon for the inaugural cohort of 49 officers who graduated last week from Makerere University with Bachelor’s Degree of Defence and Security Studies, Maj Gen Henry Matsiko, the UPDF Chief Political Commissar, said officers who complete the master’s programme in the course would be eligible to pursue the doctorate degree.
The Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) says the National Defence College is planning to introduce doctorate degree programmes for army officers as part of the professionalisation of the army.
While officiating at the luncheon for the inaugural cohort of 49 officers who graduated last week from Makerere University with Bachelor’s Degree of Defence and Security Studies, Maj Gen Henry Matsiko, the UPDF Chief Political Commissar, said officers who complete the master’s programme in the course would be eligible to pursue the doctorate degree.
“This is a historic moment in the professionalisation of the UPDF. The Commander-in-Chief must be saluted. He promised to deliver a modern and professional force equal to the standard of the times and many milestones have been reached,” he said.
He explained that Friday’s graduation is a key milestone in the history of professionalising UPDF because sponsoring its officers to study an undergraduate degree in defence and security studies shows the commitment within the army to groom qualified leaders for the sector.
He added that this is proof of the commitment by the Commander-in-Chief to create a national defence force which is not a liability to the country but an organised authority, which is the vanguard of the nation.
Maj Gen Matsiko said without a national army, the state collapses like it has happened in Somalia.
He added that they are also developing vocational programmes to skill the non-commissioned officers so that when they retire from the army, they can continue living their lives with dignity.
Mr Justus Twesigye, the dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences where the 49 officers were trained, said the partnership with UPDF to train the officers is an affirmation of the importance of social sciences in the management of society.
He explained that the college has trained many of the leaders in East Africa and the region.
Brig Gen Eugene Ssebugwawo, the Chief of Personnel and Administration in UPDF, said the officers were carefully selected because of the rigorous training they had to undergo and the hardships that come with the programme.
