Non-Commissioned Officers Hailed As Backbone Of The UPDF

The Uganda Peoples’ Defence Forces (UPDF) has passed out 489 Non-Commissioned Officers (NCOs) who completed their training at the Hima Infantry Training School, Kavera, in Hima Town Council, Busongora North County, Kasese District.

Presiding over the pass-out ceremony, the Commandant of the Mechanised Warfare College, Brig Gen Peter Candia, described NCOs as “the backbone of the army,” providing an essential link between officers and soldiers.

“They are the ones who command and administer the soldiers at the battlefront. These are the lower commanders who will eventually lead the combat forces in battle,” Brig Gen Candia stated.

He urged them to maintain high standards of discipline, continue learning through research, keep healthy, and apply the skills and knowledge acquired during training when deployed to their respective units.

He emphasized that discipline must begin with the individual and be enforced within the units and sections they command.
“The soldiers you lead will look to you for guidance. Without disciplined NCOs, soldiers will lack direction and order.”

The Commandant of Hima Infantry Training School, Col Martin Nahurira, underscored the importance of the Junior NCO course, describing it as “the foundation of the army,”

The ceremony was attended by senior officers, including Lt Col Kafureeka, the Brigade Commander of 222 Mountain Brigade, and Col Jedidiah Lugonvu Kiyengo, Commandant of the Mountain Warfare Training School.