THE UPDF RETIREMENTS AND THE STATE OF THE NATION

In his seminal book “Guns, Germs & Steel” author Jared Diamond makes an attempt to explain why the north – economic north is rich and the south is poor.

"At the bottom of it is the agrarian revolution where farmers by adopting more modern methods of agriculture – crop spacing, irrigation and animal husbandry, were able to generate a surplus. This surplus was traded with neighbours or stored away to finance two classes of people that have been critical to the domination of western culture – the thinkers and the professional army...

That is how great scientists like Isaac Newton or Michael Faraday or Galileo Galilei were able to tinker around for hours in their labs and lay the foundations of modern science or allowed Aristotle and Socrates while away their days thinking about the organization of society.

The professional army barracked away from society and the study of military science in the same vein meant that the armies of western Europe were able to sweep around the globe form conquest to conquest, with the booty from this far flung empire – another surplus, helping to improve the living standards of their people.

The development of the modern army is in response to the need to project these country’s influence abroad and to defend themselves against other rivals imperial ambitions.

In lesser developed nations armies were smaller, used rudimentary weapons and little to no science in their operations.

When the war drums were beaten able bodied men reached for the nearest implement and rushed onto the battlefield to protect their lands and women. Or not. Driven more by passion than strategy.

No wonder a handful of soldiers were able to subdue all the tribes on the African continent.

Fast forward to the present. This week 341 officers of the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) were retired in a lively ceremony at Bombo barracks.

Some had been in service since the 1970s having been passed down from the Uganda Army to the Uganda National Liberation Front (UNLF) the National Resistance Army (NRA) and eventually the UPDF.

Before being demobilized they were oriented into civilian life, advised about how best to utilize their severance pay and how to access their pensions.

This was a great occasion not just for the UPDF but for the country as a whole. For one the fact that the UPDF can allow people leave is a sign of the peace prevailing in the nation. While they are still on call as reservists, the urgency to maintain all officers and men in situ is not there anymore and is not conceived for the near future.

It also means the Forces are being renewed with young people joining and coming through the ranks.

As a peace time force they need to be looking to improve the quality of the force rather than increasing the size of the force. Recently reported plans to convert Kabamba Military Academy into a university of military science points in this direction. We shall return to this.

Secondly, these can add to efforts to boost the economy. Soldiers by training and practice are disciplined and understand its usefulness. There is nothing worthwhile that can be achieved without discipline. In western economies demobilized soldiers become businessmen and consultants, their value recognized by business and their contribution valued.

In more competitive economies every edge counts and the army is recognized as useful resource for mining leaders.

The battles of the future will not be fought with the AK47 – a handy, sturdy gun, well suited to our low technology environments. The battles of the future will be fought in cyberspace, in the labs and with much more advanced technologies and out of necessity will require a different kind of soldier.

Continuous renewal of the forces can help in better appreciating this new reality.

I think I am young and as a member of the press, I am ahead of most people in our society in keeping abreast of recent developments. But any superiority I feel over my fellow man is often dissipated within minutes of sitting around ten year olds with access to a smart device and a data connection. 

"Not only do they have more access to information than I had at their age, but they are leveraging and manipulating it in ways that can only come from early adoption of these technologies and a fearlessness of the possibilities....

I shudder to think what they will be doing with their computers in a decade or so from now.

The physical demands of military service are a natural filter but given the rapid changes in technology and military science, we may be forced to be more proactive not only returning officers and men into civilian life but in accelerating the training of those still in the force.