Martin Kambulu Pinehas is a Namibian military officer who is serving as the Chief of the Defence Force, he previously served as commander of the Namibian Air Force. He was appointed the commander of the Air wing of the

Namibian Defence Force The Namibian Defence Force (NDF) comprises the national military forces of Namibia. It was created when the country, then known as South West Africa, gained independence from South Africa in 1990. Chapter 15 of the Constitution of Namibia estab ...

in 2000. He has over 3700 flight hours of experience, including 700 as an instructor.

Military career

Pinehas joined

SWAPO The South West Africa People's Organisation (, SWAPO; af, Suidwes-Afrikaanse Volks Organisasie, SWAVO; german: Südwestafrikanische Volksorganisation, SWAVO), officially known as the SWAPO Party of Namibia, is a political party and former ind ...

's armed wing

People's Liberation Army of Namibia The People's Liberation Army of Namibia (PLAN) was the military wing of the South West Africa People's Organisation (SWAPO). It fought against the South African Defence Force (SADF) and South West African Territorial Force (SWATF) during the Sou ...

in 1980 and was deployed to the Cadet Military Academy in

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

which he completed in 1981 and was appointed deputy commander there. Between 1982 and 1983 he was serving at the PLAN Headquarters in

Lubango Lubango, formerly known as Sá da Bandeira, is a municipality in Angola, capital of the Huíla Province, with a population of 914,456 in 2022. The city center had a population of 600,751 in 2014 making it the second-most populous city in Angola a ...

Angola , national_anthem = "Angola Avante"() , image_map = , map_caption = , capital = Luanda , religion = , religion_year = 2020 , religion_ref = , coordina ...

. He was then sent for jet flying training in

Libya Libya (; ar, ليبيا, Lībiyā), officially the State of Libya ( ar, دولة ليبيا, Dawlat Lībiyā), is a country in the Maghreb region in North Africa. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Su ...

between 1984 and 1989. His career in the Namibian Defence Force started in 1993 after Namibia's independence when he was inducted with the rank of

Lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...

. In 1994 he was appointed as the commanding officer of the 1st Air Wing squadron with the rank of Major. In 1998 he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel and appointed as the chief of staff of the Air Wing. In 2000 he was promoted to colonel and appointed as Air Wing Commander. In 2002 he was appointed as Air Force Commander. In 2005 when the Air Force was commissioned he was promoted to

Brigadier General Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed t ...

. The rank of air vice-marshal was bestowed in 2008. On the 31 March 2020 he was promoted to air marshal and appointed as Chief of Defence Force becoming the first non Army General to occupy the position. Martin's professional qualifications includes a diploma in air operations, from

Air University (United States Air Force) Air University is a professional military education university system of the United States Air Force. It is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award master's degrees. Organizatio ...

and a Bachelor of Commerce degree as well as a Master of Business Administration from Regent Business School. He earned several military service awards, commendation and medals.

Honours and Decorations

* Most Excellent Order of the Eagle, Third Class. *

Mandume Ya Ndemufayo Operation Medalhttps://mod.gov.na/documents/264813/283588/CDF+pinehas.jpg/9b799e5d-05e3-4fef-b662-aaed4908c087?t=1595854429000 * NAF Air Cadre Medal

Air Cadre Medal * NAF Air Longevity Medal

Air Force Longevity Medal * NAF Air Force exemplary medal

Air Force Commander's Exemplary Medal * NDF commendation ribbon

NDF Commendation Medal * Mérito Santos Dumont

Santos-Dumont Merit Medal , - , - , - , -

References

Living people Namibian Air Force air marshals 1962 births {{Namibia-mil-bio-stub