SENIOR military officers from several regional countries fresh from a one-year course at the Rwanda Defence Force Command and Staff College have been urged to uphold professional integrity and discipline while discharging their duties.

The call was made on Friday by James Kabarebe, the Defence minister, while officiating at the graduation of senior military officers at the College in Nyakinama, Musanze District. 

The officers drew from different countries in the region.

"Your studies here provided you not only an opportunity to recharge intellectually and see things more clearly, but to reassess yourselves and your respective militaries and appreciate the role you have to play to make our region and Africa a proud and dignified place,” said Kabarebe.

"The course you have just concluded has equipped you with the necessary analytical, planning and communication skills to make the transition from analytical, operational and strategic focus to deal with contemporary complex security environment.” 

Kabarebe told the graduates that bigger assignments await them in the future as they will be promoted to positions of higher responsibility where they will be required to uphold high standards of professional integrity and discipline to successfully discharge their duties.

"You will be required, as commanders, to be bold and accountable in order to be able to make different choices in a changing environment. I, therefore, urge you to go beyond the ordinary way of doing things and have the necessary drive required to take Africa to the next level,” he said.

He urged the graduates to ensure the bonds they created help them remain engaged on issues of national and regional strategic importance and in cementing regional and African cooperation and integration.

"Today’s rapidly changing world and modern military operations demand commanders with open and flexible minds who are equipped with the capacity to think logically and act boldly,” he said.

The College’s objective is to produce officers with requisite analytical and communication skills as well as a professional military knowledge in command and leadership at operational level, according to Maj. Gen Jean-Bosco Kazura, the Commandant.

Kazura hailed the officers for having met the College expectations and vigorously pursued the course objective to the desired end.

He said the officers had worked hard, combining practical military exercises with academic courses.

"Today, we believe that they possess focused multifaceted skills, and enhanced intellectual and professional capacity to deal with future defence and security challenges,” he said.

The senior officers’ course fourth intake brought together 46 senior officers from eight countries, including Burundi, Kenya, Malawi, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Rwanda.

The graduation brings the number of senior officer graduates from the college to 184.

The college offers high-level military studies.

The college works closely with the University of Rwanda and has entered partnerships with other regional and international universities to ensure courses needed for military officers are well designed.

"This course was so advanced, it has taken us from lower to a higher level in military command, it is up to our government to deploy us as we are ready to serve not only our country but the entire continent whenever we are called upon,” said Major Elias Byamukama from Uganda People’s Defence Forces.

Major Jean-Paul Mutarambirwa, from Rwanda Defence Forces, who also emerged the overall student, said. 

This course covers a multinational force dimension that enables us to command forces to stabilise the region, the continent and beyond.”

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