UPDF Officers Trained in Human Security Planning to Enhance Somalia Operations

Thirteen officers from the Uganda Peoples’ Defence Forces (UPDF), serving under the African Union Support and Stabilisation Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM), have successfully completed a week-long Human Security Planning course facilitated by the United Kingdom Mission Support Team (UKMST) in Mogadishu.

The training aimed to enhance the officers’ capacity to integrate human security principles into the planning and execution of stabilisation operations.

Speaking at the closing ceremony, Col Richard Grover, Commander of UKMST in Somalia, commended the officers for their dedication throughout the course. He underscored the critical role of planning in military success. “If you don’t get it right in planning at the start, you will have a hard time at the battlefront,” Col Grover said. He encouraged the officers to implement the lessons learned and to share them with junior commanders and frontline troops, highlighting the importance of community trust in securing lasting peace.

Representing the Deputy Contingent Commander of Sector One, Lt Col Vincent Mutebi Masembe congratulated the graduates for their resilience and focus, despite the compressed training timeline. “Proper planning limits battlefield casualties and boosts operational success,” Lt Col Masembe noted. “Training builds confidence, experience, and morale; the foundation of any strong military force.”

The closing ceremony was attended by Maj Bernard Muhatane, the Sector One Training Officer; Capt Alex Bidie, Head of Training at UKMST; as well as senior and junior non-commissioned officers from Sector One.