Uganda Military

Uganda is a landlocked country located in East Africa and is known for its strong military and defense. The Uganda People’s Defence Force (UPDF) is the military branch of the country and consists of four branches: Land Forces, Air Force, Air Defence Artillery, and Special Forces. The total active personnel stands at around 40,000 with an additional reserve force of around 15,000 personnel. Uganda has a moderate defense budget compared to its GDP as it spends about 3.3% of its GDP on defense. The country imports weapons from countries such as China, Russia, Ukraine, South Africa, and the United States. Uganda also has strong ties with other countries in the region such as Kenya which allows them to cooperate militarily when needed. As a result of this strong military presence in the region Uganda has become an important regional player in security issues and is able to maintain peace and stability within East Africa effectively. See naturegnosis to learn more about the country of Uganda.

Defense

The defense (2006) consists of approximately 45,000 men recruited and is organized into five divisions. The equipment is older and of Soviet origin. 19 fighter planes and some helicopters. Police security forces of 1,800 men are organized in an airplane and a marine unit. Defense costs declined sharply after demobilization in 1992 and amounted to 2.4% in 1996 and in 2006 to 2.0% of GDP. The armed opposition consists of about 2,000 men in the border areas of Sudan, of which 1,500 are in the LRA (Lord’s Resistance Army). Uganda participates in UN peacekeeping operations with observers in Ivory Coast and Sudan. To see related acronyms about this country, please check ABBREVIATIONFINDER where you can see that UGA stands for Uganda.

The total force numbers for Uganada’s armed forces are 45,000 active personnel (2018, IISS), all in the army. In addition, around 1400 semi-military police forces are arriving.

Uganda Army

Army

The Army supplies include about 239 tanks (185 T-54 and T-55, 44 T-90, and ten T-72), about 20 light tanks of the PT-76 type, 46 clearing vehicles, 31 storm tanks, 150 armored personnel vehicles, and six self-propelled vehicles. artillery. In addition, the Army has heavy artillery, short-range air defense missiles and anti-aircraft artillery.

An air component has 13 fighter aircraft (seven MiG-21 and six Su-30), four transport aircraft, three L-39 Albatros training aircraft (which can also be used as light attack aircraft), and 12 helicopters (one of which is a Mi-24 fighter helicopter).

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International operations

In 2018, Uganda participated in the African Union Operation in Somalia (AMISOM) with seven infantry battalions (6022 personnel), and in the UN operation in Somalia (UNSOM) with 530 personnel and two observers.

Uganda’s foreign policy

Under Idi Amin, Uganda was internationally isolated, with the exception of some Muslim countries, including Libya. The isolation was broken with the stability introduced by Yoweri Museveni’s takeover of power in 1986, when several multinational development organizations strengthened support for Uganda and several countries resumed their assistance – among them Norway. Internationally, Museveni’s regime was welcomed, but throughout the 1990s criticism increased, in parallel with the absence of democracy and criticism of human rights violations.

Two regional dimensions have particularly characterized Ugandan foreign policy: first and foremost, the relationship with the two neighboring countries Kenya and Tanzania; then the relationship with the civil war affected neighbors Sudan, DR Congo and Rwanda. Until 1974, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda were united in the regional economic cooperation organization East African Community(EAC), established in 1967, dissolved in 1977. While relations with Tanzania were good, relations with Kenya were poorer, including with armed clashes at the border and alleged attacks within Kenya 1987/88. The relationship was normalized in the early 1990s. This allowed for a revitalization of cooperation between the three countries, and an agreement was signed in 1999 to restore the EAC. This happened in 2001, and in 2004 a Customs Union was established. The three countries also entered into military cooperation through the Eastern African Standby Brigade Force, as part of the standing forces of the African Union. Kenya played a key role in the conflict between Sudan and Uganda in the 1990s, with Uganda supporting the Sudanese resistance movement SPLM, while Sudan supporting the Ugandan guerrilla LRA. Several Ugandan rebel movements received support from Zaire(Congo), and detention there – which contributed to an often strained relationship between Uganda and Zaire, with tension along the border especially from 1988. Uganda supported the Congolese rebel group AFDL, which came to power in Congo in 1997. Uganda then withdrew its support to the AFDL and President Kabila, supporting a rebellion against him in eastern Congo. In 1998, Uganda joined soldiers, along with Rwanda. The following year, a peace agreement was signed between Congo and Uganda, after which Uganda withdrew its troops, but Uganda remained active in the eastern part of the country. Uganda and Rwanda were accused by the UN of unlawfully exploiting Congo’s natural resources during its military engagement there. Uganda supported the Rwandan rebels who seized power in Rwanda in 1994 and developed close political relations. The two countries were then on edge over Congo policy,The Great Lakes’ area of ​​eastern/ central Africa. In the same year, Uganda, Congo and Rwanda agreed to disarm rebel groups operating in their respective countries.

Findings of significant oil deposits under Lake Albert, between Uganda and DR Congo, led to fears of intensified conflict between the countries. After a time of tension, including shootings between troops from both sides in 2007, an agreement was reached to dampen the tension following talks between the two countries’ heads of state in Tanzania.