Defence training plan to open more opportunities

Dar es Salaam. President Samia Suluhu Hassan yesterday praised the National Defence College (NDC)’s plan to train strategic matters that lead the beneficiary to foresee things and be able to prepare for any eventuality.

Speaking during the 10th anniversary of the establishment of NDC, President Hassan expressed her satisfaction and noted that the strategy was important because of the rapidly changing events.

The President the current of the situation requires people who will be able to study the dynamics of the world and come forward with plans that will work in the foreseeable future.

More importantly, the head of state touched on her policy of opening the country for business/investment and tourism and said that when the country is opened, many foreigners including investors, tourists, businesspersons will come in big numbers. That, she said, will trigger vibrancy of many economic activities, which in turn will help in the growth of the country’s economy besides boosting diplomatic ties.

“Therefore, we must have people who can study these trends and the things that enter the country and become strategic in planning for the effects of the decision,” she said.

She pointed out that what was being done at NDC was important and asked the college’s leadership to expand the scope of people who benefit from the presence of the institution, “if you are going to three or four courses a year, I ask that you increase further.”

“We have opened up the country, so many tourists have entered, but do we have someone with skills to know who is entering as a tourist and who is entering with vicious intentions.”

“We need many capable people to ensure that the opening of our country does not endanger the security of our sovereign state,” she noted.

In another development, it was revealed that the country was in the process of establishing a War College that would specialise on training senior military officers and make them have a broad understanding of war issues.

Speaking at the occasion that was live broadcast, the Chief of Defense Forces (CDF), Major General Jacob Mkunda said that currently NDC provided training similar to that but it was not recognised internationally.

“This is our own college (NDC), it teaches our own things, but the one we want to establish will be more international, it will be known and recognised across borders as there are many other countries with such an institution… We have to do this especially after achieving a lot at NDC,” he said.

He explained that they were currently sending officers to the United States and Egypt for military training, something which having a highly recognised defence institution would reduce and see most of the officers trained locally.

“I think this is the only place where war will be taught in its entirety, it is also a place that will provide more opportunities for many military officers to get training different from the one provided at the NDC where people from all cadres (civilians) attend,” he exuded.

As such, the Commander-In-Chief noted that the government was ready to support all training strategies, including plans to establish the war academy in the country. She said that the way the economy continues to respond, the government will help its forces look strong due to the responsibilities that have been arising…

She said there are three types of wars in the world today; the battle in the field, the cyber war (ICT) and the economic one. “So these things need to be taught in their breadth.”