Relationships matter when you are in trouble, you do not want to build them in a moment of crisis”, US’s visiting military officer Lt General Michael Flynn told his Ugandan host, the Chief of Defense Forces (CDF) and Senior Presidential Advisor (SPA) on Special Operations, General Muhoozi Kainerugaba (MK), on Saturday evening at a dinner at Serena Hotel Kigo.
During the engagement, Gen Kainerugaba thanked Lt Gen Flynn for taking time to visit the country, describing the meeting as the beginning of a meaningful relationship.
MK welcomed Flynn whose counter-insurgency papers he says Ugandan officers studied at Fort Leavenworth as the beginning of a very consequential and important relationship.
“We used to study some of his papers when we were at Fort Leavenworth and we are honored that he is here with us. I believe this is the beginning of a very consequential and important relationship,” Gen Kainerugaba said.
Fort Leavenworth.
Fort Leavenworth is a US Army post in Kansas, just northeast of the city of Leavenworth. It is best known as the home of the Army’s Command and general Staff College where mid-career officers study operational planning and leadership and the Combined Arms center that writes much of the Army’s doctrine.
The installation also houses the Fort Leavenworth National cemetery and the Department of Defense’s maximum-security prison known as the Army’s Fort Leavenworth Correctional Facility. In short it is the Army’s brain-center for educating field-grade officers and shaping how the service fights.
The CDF said earlier talks had centered on education’s role in shaping citizens.
“We need to educate young people to love their country, value their nation and uphold strong moral values”, he noted, adding that Uganda’s military primary and secondary schools follow the national curriculum but could draw lessons from America’s reserve Officers’ Training Corps.
“Perhaps we need to think about how we can develop something similar within our own system”
Gen Kainerugaba said the discussions also explored the potential role of the military in strengthening education systems and leadership development among young people.
Lt Gen Flynn, a 33-year US army veteran, replied that institutions endure only by growing new leaders: “the generals eventually go away and we have to develop new leaders, where you develop leaders, best is often in the military where there is focus on discipline, training, education and teamwork”.
“The most important thing you can do in life is develop relationships with people and make those relationships last over time. Relationships matter most when you are in trouble. You don’t want to build them in a moment of crisis,” Lt Gen Flynn said.
He observed that Africa, particularly Uganda, holds significant potential due to its youthful population and emerging opportunities, if guided by structured schooling and leadership training.
Lt Gen Flynn also underscored the importance of education and leadership development within the armed forces, noting that strong institutions depend on preparing the next generation of leaders.
Ambassador Robie Kakonge and UPDF generals Maj Gen James Kinalwa, Maj Gen Moses Rwakitarate; Maj Gen Chris Ddamulira, among other Generals and Senior military officers.
For Gen MK, the evening was prospecting a chance to ask whether embedding ROTC-style modules in Ugandan schools can add fresh rigor to the military-run schools already in place. If the relationship forged over dinner holds, both armies may find a common ground in classrooms as well as field exercises.
Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC).
ROTC embeds military leadership training inside civilian colleges and high schools. Students take standard degree courses but add weekly classes on tactics, ethics and command plus labs and physical training.
They earn a commission as an Army Navy/Air Force or Marine officer when they graduate-scholarships often cover tuition in exchange for a service commitment.
Programmes are hosted by 1,700 plus US schools, participants balance cadet duties with normal campus life, graduating as second lieutenants or ensigns.
