Uganda has reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening the Eastern Africa Standby Force (EASF) and deepening regional security cooperation as the region faces increasingly complex and unpredictable security threats.
The commitment was made during the 36th Ordinary Session of the Committee of Chiefs of Defence and Security of the EASF in Kampala, which brought together senior military and security leaders from member states to assess the region’s evolving security environment and the force’s preparedness to respond to emerging threats.
Speaking at the opening of the meeting, Uganda’s Minister of State for Defence and Veteran Affairs (Defence), Grace Akifeza Ngabirano, said greater regional cooperation and confidence were critical to maintaining peace and stability in Eastern Africa.
“Security cannot be sustained through isolation. It is built through confidence, strengthened through partnership, and endures when nations choose cooperation over uncertainty,” Ngabirano said.
She urged military leaders from the region to anticipate emerging threats and strengthen professional military dialogue, interoperability and cooperation among neighbouring countries.
Ngabirano said the responsibilities of Chiefs of Defence and Security had evolved beyond the traditional role of commanding national armed forces, placing them at the centre of strategic decision making, national resilience and regional confidence building.
“You are builders of regional confidence. The relationship you cultivate, the truth you maintain, and the cooperation you strengthen are themselves strategic assets that contribute to preventing conflict and preserving stability,” she said.
The meeting comes at a time when Eastern Africa continues to face a range of security challenges, including armed conflicts, extremist threats, organised criminal networks and other forms of transnational insecurity that increasingly require coordinated regional responses.
Uganda Peoples’ Defence Forces (UPDF) Chief of Defence Forces, Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, said the region’s security environment was becoming increasingly demanding, with conflicts changing rapidly and extremist and illicit networks becoming more sophisticated.
He also pointed to the growing influence of technology on modern military operations, saying regional forces could no longer rely solely on traditional measures of preparedness.
“In such an environment, preparedness is no longer measured by numbers alone. It is measured by agility, interoperability, foresight and the ability to respond decisively under uncertain circumstances,” Kainerugaba said.
He cited the ongoing transition to the African Union Support and Stabilisation Mission in Somalia as an important reminder of the need for Eastern African countries to maintain readiness to respond to emerging regional security requirements.
The transition also underscores the importance of developing regional mechanisms capable of providing timely collective responses when member states or continental institutions require support.
“We cannot afford to depend on unpredictable circumstances. We must remain prepared to respond whenever the African Union and Member States require collective action,” Kainerugaba said.
The EASF, which forms part of Africa’s broader regional peace and security architecture, is designed to provide a readily available multidimensional force comprising military, police and civilian components for deployment in response to crises and other authorised security operations.
Kainerugaba said the force had recently completed a force verification exercise in Uganda, describing the exercise as a practical demonstration of the readiness and capabilities of its military, police and civilian components.
He said such exercises were important because the credibility of a standby force depended not only on its ability to deploy when called upon but also on the confidence it generated before deployment became necessary.
“A standby force earns credibility not only through the missions it undertakes, but through the confidence it inspires before deployment becomes necessary,” he said.
The UPDF chief further announced that Uganda would meet its financial obligations to the EASF, while urging other member states to develop practical and sustainable solutions to the force’s funding challenges.
Sustainable financing remains critical to maintaining the force’s readiness, conducting exercises and ensuring that its military, police and civilian components remain capable of responding to regional security demands.
The EASF Director, Brig Gen Ronald Rwivanga, said the Kampala meeting would consider a range of issues aimed at strengthening the organisation’s governance, sustainability and operational effectiveness.
The deliberations are expected to provide an opportunity for defence and security chiefs from member states to review the force’s preparedness, strengthen cooperation and identify practical measures for addressing emerging security challenges.
Uganda’s reaffirmation of its commitment places emphasis on collective preparedness at a time when security threats are increasingly crossing national borders and requiring countries in the region to work together rather than rely solely on individual national responses.
The meeting also reinforces the EASF’s role in strengthening Eastern Africa’s capacity to prevent conflict, respond to crises and contribute to broader African peace and security efforts.
