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As President Barack Obama was signing the Lord’s Resistance Army Disarmament and Northern Uganda Recovery Act May 24, members of U.S. Africa Command’s air component, Air Forces Africa, were en route to Uganda for a senior leader engagement event.
Led by Brig. Gen. Mike Callan, vice commander, the delegation met with senior embassy and host nation officials to discuss current and future engagement activities between Ugandan People’s Defense and Air Forces and Air Forces Africa.
“While the timing of this (signing of the law) was completely coincidental to our visit, it did underscore our purpose in meeting with the country team and Ugandan officials,” General Callan said. “We’ve already established a good partnership with Ugandan forces in military-to-military engagement. As we look down the road, discussions at the senior level will better guide the nature, scope and timing for future events.”
General Callan and key staff members began the visit with a tour of the airfield and logistics hangars at Entebbe Air Base. During the tour, the team met with a representative of the U.S. State Department-contracted Dyncorp Corp., which supports the UPDF with aerial resupply and troop movements of Ugandan, Burundian and Somali forces in and out of Mogadishu supporting the United Nations-African Union Mission in Somalia.
“Uganda is one of only two countries supporting the UN’s AMISOM mission currently,” General Callan said. “Though the airlift is contracted, it is good to have the understanding of those ground-based missions and capabilities of the UPDF as we pursue future air force and joint initiatives.”
While the UPDF boasts a professional, well-trained army, their air forces are, in essence, only 5 years old and looking to build capacity.
“We’ve been working with their army forces for some time, providing great training opportunities through the Department of State-funded International Military Education and Training, or IMET, program and multi-national peacekeeping operations. Now they would like for us to do that with their air forces,” said Lt. Col. Greg Joachim, Defense and Army Attache, U.S. Embassy Kampala.
U.S. Ambassador to Uganda Jerry Lanier highlighted the LRA issue, as well as Somalia and Sudan as on-going priorities requiring a multi-year process, and he praised the current security relationship.
“We’re very glad you’re here working with the Ugandans,” he said. “The military is a dominant institution in this country and this is a key relationship. The Ugandans are ready to move forward in building capacity for their air force, and when they say they will do something, they will do it.”
Maj. Gen. JB Owoyesigire, commander of Ugandan People’s Defence Air Forces, said his nation welcomes President Obama’s concerns and signing of the new law to assist with the defeat of the LRA.
“You supported us in our fight against HIV and now the LRA,” he said. “Joseph Kony is a son of Uganda, and therefore our responsibility and we will take care of that.”
The general’s dream for the future is to build a Ugandan academy for air force officers that will take them through military education from cadet to general. When discussing the potential for not only Uganda, but other African nations, General Owoyesigire is very direct.
“African nations do not need to wait for others to come in to help them,” he said. “African nations need to do things for themselves. We are building our air force, and we would like your support in doing that.”
After the visit, General Callan was satisfied to leave with a clear way forward.
“As always, we do these engagements to listen to the partner nation’s air force issues and priorities and see where we and our Combatant Command headquarters can be value added,” he said. “This event helped us determine that we’re on track.”
