National Defence College, Uganda is a National Security and Strategic Studies training and educational institution in

Uganda }), is a landlocked country in East Africa. The country is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the south by Tanzania. The sou ...

Location

The college is located in

Njeru Njeru is a town in Buikwe District, in the Central Region of Uganda. It is the largest town in the district. It is mainly a residential town. However, it hosts industries such as ''East African Packaging Solutions Limited'', a manufacturer of ...

, in

Buikwe District Buikwe District is a district in the Central Region of Uganda. It is named after its 'chief town', Buikwe, where the district headquarters are located. Location Buikwe District is bordered by Kayunga District to the north, Jinja District to t ...

. This is near the city of Jinja, approximately , by road, east of

Kampala Kampala (, ) is the capital and largest city of Uganda. The city proper has a population of 1,680,000 and is divided into the five political divisions of Kampala Central Division, Kawempe Division, Makindye Division, Nakawa Division, and Ruba ...

, Uganda's capital and largest city.

Overview

The Defence College is expected to produce graduates in strategic leadership to government on national and international security matters. It is intended to be an institute of excellence on defence, security and national development. In September 2018, the Ugandan Chief of Defence Forces, General David Muhoozi, established a committee to spearhead the establishment of the defence college in 2019. The committee was chaired by

Lieutenant General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

Nakibus Lakara, the Commander of the Uganda Rapid Deployment Capability Centre (URDCC), based in Jinja. Lydia Wanyoto, a Ugandan lawyer, politician and diplomat, was one of the committee members. According to the army commander, the National Defence College will offer training to civilians, military, national security professionals and future leaders. The training is intended to educate the students about the strategic security environment and the management of complexities at a strategic level. At this time, the UPDF has a sufficient number of senior officers, with the requisite knowledge, experience and background information to become instructors at the defence college. The NDCU admitted its first cohort of students, numbering about 20, in January 2022. The students are first-star generals (

Brigadier Brigadier is a military rank, the seniority of which depends on the country. In some countries, it is a senior rank above colonel, equivalent to a brigadier general or commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several thousand soldiers. I ...

), senior military commanders (

Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...

) and high ranking government personnel. The College is affiliated with

Makerere University Makerere University, Kampala (; Mak) is Uganda's largest and oldest institution of higher learning, first established as a technical school in 1922. It became an independent national university in 1970. Today, Makerere University is composed of n ...

, Uganda's oldest and largest public university. Graduates will receive a ''National Defence Collège'' badge and a

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

, awarded by Makerere University.

Courses

As of January 2022, the college offers two courses (a) ''Postgraduate Diploma in National Security Studies'' and (b) ''Masters in Security Strategy'', offered in collaboration with Makerere University.

Pioneer class

Members of the pioneer class at NDCU (2022), include Brigadier Flavia Byekwaso, previously spokesperson for the UPDF. Others are Colonel Edith Nakalema, previously Head of ''State House Anti Corruption Unit'' (SHACU), and Brigadier Peter Candia, previously Commander of the ''Special Forces Command'' (SFC). There are 18 UPDF officers in the pioneer class.

References

External links