The Namibian Military School is a training unit of the Namibian Defence Force. It is the premier training institution of the Namibian military and offers a variety of training ranging from basic military training to mechanical training

History

The school traces its roots back to the Namibian Liberation struggle when the forerunner to today's military school was established in late 1979 as the "SWA Military School" by the

South West African Territorial Force The South West Africa Territorial Force (SWATF) was an auxiliary arm of the South African Defence Force (SADF) and comprised the armed forces of South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1977 to 1989. It emerged as a product of South Africa's politic ...

during the South African administration of

Namibia Namibia (, ), officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country in Southern Africa. Its western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Zambia and Angola to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and ea ...

. The school is the primary training unit of the force. It is partly based at the Osona Military base outside

Okahandja Okahandja is a city of 24,100 inhabitants in Otjozondjupa Region, central Namibia, and the district capital of the Okahandja electoral constituency. It is known as the ''Garden Town of Namibia''. It is located 70 km north of Windhoek on the ...

. It is the NDF training institution that offers the six-month basic military training (BMT) to all recruits wanting a career in the Namibian Defence Force. The school also conducts training for all officer cadets in the force.

Training offered

The school offers and hosts a variety of military training institutions and courses including language, computer, and military police course. The Automotive school trains technical services auto mechanics. The driving school trains military personnel in operating and maintaining vehicles. A cadet officers' course is run at the military school.

Central medical training school

A central medical training facility is being built at the Namibian Military School. The wing is commanded by Lt Col Amutenya.

Signals training school

Formerly a wing, the signals training school trains military communications specialists. Signals courses offered include Communication Course, Signal Officers Course and Computer Courses. It is currently under construction.

Recruit training

As the primary training institution, basic training for all NDF recruits is undertaken at the Osona military base outside

. An extension of the school is also located at the Ondangwa Military Base where basic training for recruits can also take place. Basic training for recruits is six months long, and is offered in two phases, Basic Military Training and Platoon Weapons. Some of the military aspects covered include drills,

field craft Fieldcraft is the techniques involved in living, traveling, or making military or scientific observations in the field and the methods used to do so. The term "fieldcraft" is used in a broad range of industries including military, oil and gas, wi ...

, skill at arms, minor tactics, coin ops, military hygiene,

military law Military justice (also military law) is the legal system (bodies of law and procedure) that governs the conduct of the active-duty personnel of the armed forces of a country. In some nation-states, civil law and military law are distinct bodie ...

, military aspects,

first aid First aid is the first and immediate assistance given to any person with either a minor or serious illness or injury, with care provided to preserve life, prevent the condition from worsening, or to promote recovery. It includes initial in ...

, map reading,

law of armed conflict International humanitarian law (IHL), also referred to as the laws of armed conflict, is the law that regulates the conduct of war (''jus in bello''). It is a branch of international law that seeks to limit the effects of armed conflict by prot ...

and

conventional warfare Conventional warfare is a form of warfare conducted by using conventional weapons and battlefield tactics between two or more states in open confrontation. The forces on each side are well-defined and fight by using weapons that target primari ...

Central support structure for peacekeeping missions

Being set up with German assistance, the facility will consist of training workshops for plumbing, carpentry, welding, electricity and bricklaying artisans. The central support unit aims to capacitance the military when it deploys on peace support operations.

Commandants

References

{{Reflist Military of Namibia Military academies