SPOKESPERSONS SINCE 1986 • Maj. Roland Katunguka • Col. Shaban Bantariza • Maj. Phinehas Katirima • Col. Felix Kulayigye • Lt. Paddy Ankunda • Brig. Richard Karemire • Brig Flavia Byekwaso Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | UPDF representative in parliament Brig Gen Flavia Byekwaso has been appointed Defence Spokesperson, replacing …
Read More »US wants to reduce presence in Africa, warns top officer
Brussels, Belgium | AFP | The United States wants to reduce its military presence in Africa, Washington’s top military officer said, as France hosts Sahel leaders as it seeks to bolster the fight against jihadists in the region. Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark Milley, said …
Read More »US deploying up to 3,500 troops to Middle East
Washington, United States | AFP | The US is deploying up to 3,500 more troops to the Middle East in a show of force, a Pentagon official said Friday, after an American drone killed a top Iranian general. The reinforcements will come from the 82nd Airborne Division’s Global Response Force, …
Read More »US military spending up for first time in 7 years: Sipri
Stockholm, Sweden | AFP | US military spending has risen for the first time in seven years, reflecting Trump administration policy, according to a new report released Monday by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. Worldwide military spending also rose by 2.6 percent to $1.8 trillion overall last year, …
Read More »African arms market to grow by 50 percent over five years: analyst
Abidjan, Ivory Coast | AFP | Africa’s arms market is likely to grow by 50 percent over the next five years, analyst Stephane Konan said at a four-day trade show in Ivory Coast. “The African market in defence represents only a drop of water in relation to the world market: 42.6 …
Read More »Defence Ministry seeks sh70 billion for LDU operations
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Defense and Veteran Affairs Ministry is seeking more than Shillings 70 billion to handle Local Defense Unit (LDU) operations. The Veteran Affairs State Minister, Bright Rwamirama disclosed this while appearing before the Defense Committee of Parliament Wednesday to present their 2019/2020 financial …
Read More »Eyeing China, US to hold missile drill in Japan’s Okinawa: report
Tokyo, Japan | AFP | The US military will this year conduct its first ever missile drill around the Japanese island of Okinawa, according to a report Thursday, as Washington seeks to counter an increasingly assertive China. The US military has told its Japanese counterpart it plans to deploy surface-to-ship …
Read More »Kim warns N. Korea could consider change of tack
Seoul, South Korea | AFP | Nuclear-armed North Korea wants good relations with the US but could consider a change of approach if Washington maintains its sanctions, leader Kim Jong Un warned in his New Year speech Tuesday after 12 months of diplomatic rapprochement. At a summit with US President …
Read More »Putin hails ‘successful’ test of new hypersonic missile
Moscow, Russia | AFP | Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday hailed final tests of a hypersonic missile, which he earlier said would render existing missile defence systems obsolete. “On my instructions, the Ministry of Defence prepared and conducted a final test of this system. This has just been completed …
Read More »Jim Mattis: the ‘Mad Dog’ with a big library
Washington, United States | AFP | Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, a softly spoken but battle-hardened former Marine, always stood in uneasy contrast with President Donald Trump, his brash businessman boss who avoided any military service. On Thursday, after months of speculation and following Trump’s stunning decision to pull out of …
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