Uganda People's Defence Force
Encyclopedia : U : UG : UGA : Uganda People's Defence Force
| Uganda armed forces | |
|---|---|
| Military manpower | |
| Military age | 15 years of age |
| Availability | males aged 15-49: 4,952,945 (2000 est.) |
| Reaching military age annually | Unknown |
| Active troops | Unknown |
| Military expenditures | |
| Dollar figure | $95 million (FY98/99) |
| Percent of GDP | 1.9% (FY98/99) |
The Uganda Peoples Defence Force (UPDF), previously the National Resistance Army, constitutes the armed forces of Uganda.
At present UPDF's primary focus is the conflict with the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), a rebel group operating in the country's North which has been condemned by the UN and was declared a Terrorist organization by the US in 2001. Since March 2002, UPDF has been granted permission to carry out operating against LRA bases across the border in the Sudan, and these raids, collectively known as Operation Iron Fist, have resulted in the repatriation of many abducted children being held by the rebels as child soldiers or sex slaves.
UPDF’s own policy of employing children (of the ages of 15 and over) has, however, drawn criticism form the international community and this, perhaps, has limited the level of military aid to Uganda and thus hindered the resolution of this bloody civil conflict.
Prior to 2000, US military forces participated with UPDF in training activities under the African Crisis Response Initiative. This cooperation was terminated in 2000 as a result of Uganda's incursion into the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Following the June 2003 UPDF withdrawal of troops from the DRC, limited nonlethal military assistance has restarted.
Military branches: Army, Navy, Air Wing
Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 15-49:
2,687,924 (2000 est.)
External links
- [www.defenceuganda.mil.ug] - Ministry of Defence website
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