The Commander of the Special Forces Command (SFC), Maj Gen Asaph Mweteise Nyakikuru, presided over the pass-out ceremony for Commando Qualification Course Intake 05/25-26 and also declared the beginning of Intake 06 at the Special Warfare Centre and School – Camp Rufu in Ruhengyere, Kiruhura District.
In his remarks, Maj Gen Mweteise congratulated the graduands for passionately completing the intense training, saying the act marks a significant milestone in the history of building a modern and professional army.
He appreciated the importance of training, noting that “continuous training is an arm that moves an army to make operations simple.”
Maj Gen Mweteise noted that despite the scarce resources, equipping and empowering Special Forces Command soldiers plus training requires a lot of resources even if one decides to be frugal, further noting that the much-needed continuous training is based on the changing warfare terrain and emerging threats.
To the graduands, Maj Gen Mweteise told them that the Commando Qualification Course is a strategic, endurance and capability course but is a real value to what they want.
He urged the newly passed-out students to be ready to operate anywhere and demonstrate the specialised combat skills they have attained.
“We have trained warriors to finish the enemies of Uganda within and beyond,” he emphasised, further urging them to demonstrate elite specialised combat skills to easily execute high-profile assignments.
He also urged them to lead by example at their respective units and strictly follow the chain of command.
“Strictly respect the chain of command, be dependable and professional, maintain your tactical edge and observe your unyielding commitment to service,” Maj Gen Mweteise told the Intake 05 Commando Qualification Course graduands.
Maj Gen Mweteise also warned that SFC has no room for complacency and urged soldiers to maintain conscious discipline.
“The difficult chapter has come to an end and something beautiful is about to begin,” Maj Gen Nyakikuru concluded his message to the graduands.
The Commander of 2 Infantry Division, Maj Gen Paul Muhanguzi, congratulated the fresh graduates and noted that with this specialised training, UPDF is now an advanced force capable of protecting Uganda’s interest and their properties.
He commended the President and Commander-in-Chief of the UPDF, H.E. Gen. (Rtd) Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, for the consistent guidance in training and advancement of the armed forces.
“Training is one of the key pillars to advance the forces, and we train to protect our people so that they can work and pay taxes, from where we get funds to equip our forces,” he said.
He also urged soldiers to protect the existing strategic relationship between the force and the civilian population.
“There is no force without wanainchi. We recruit from them, serve with them, and when we retire, we go back to live with wanainchi (civilians),” he explained.
The Group Commander of 2 Special Forces Group, Col Jimmy Mukuba Kabila, urged graduands to ensure a sense of duty, saying the training intended to mould the young soldiers into Special Forces operators with a sound mindset that can execute complex missions. He urged them to remain hardworking, maintain teamwork, and sacrifice throughout service.
“The army has invested in you and we expect returns,” he said as he congratulated the 214 graduands, of whom 10 were females, upon reaching their final stage of the course.
The Commandant of the Special Warfare Centre and School – Camp Rufu, Maj Natal Vuraga Kanzo, expressed his gratitude to the UPDF leadership for the unwavering support towards training to have a modern, professional and pro-people army. He implored graduands to remain strong under physical stress, stay resilient, committed, courageous, observe oneness and fight in a disciplined manner.
Mr Dan Mukago, the LC V Chairperson for Kiruhura District, commended UPDF for preserving peace and security both within Uganda and beyond, noting that the existing peace in Kiruhura has led to the emergence of Camp Rufu training school, primary schools and health centres in the area.
“In fact, Camp Rufu is not only a training school but a development pattern to our district,” he noted.
He implored commandos to continue serving Uganda and the rest of the world with loyalty, honour and sacrifice.
The best students were awarded gifts and certificates in recognition of their outstanding performance in various disciplines.
The pass-out was also attended by UPDF Directors of Training, UPDF senior and junior officers, representatives from the Uganda Police Force, instructors at the school, and militants, among others.
