Asked by: Paul Williams (Labour - Stockton South)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 1 April 2019 to Question 237709 on Uganda: Military Aid, what indirect support the UK Government provides to Uganda’s Special Forces Command.
Answered by Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton
It is possible that a small number of Ugandan People's Defence Force personnel, who were given initial officer training in leadership, command and professional standards at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, may have been posted into the Special Forces Command at a later stage in their career.
Asked by: Paul Williams (Labour - Stockton South)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what support the UK Government provides to Uganda’s Special Forces Command.
Answered by Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton
The Ugandan Special Forces Command is not provided with direct support by HM Government.
Asked by: Paul Williams (Labour - Stockton South)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 16 October 2018 to Question 176667 on Uganda: Military Aid, which Ugandan units the UK Government provided support to in (a) 2017, (b) 2018 and (c) 2019; and whether any of those units are part of the Ugandan Special Forces Command.
Answered by Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton
Her Majesty's Government has provided military support to the Ugandan People's Defence Force (UPDF) during 2017 - 2019, and to the Ugandan Wildlife Authority and the Uganda Police Force in 2017 and 2018. Support to the Wildlife Authority and Police was in countering the illegal wildlife trade, and the Police also received training in countering improvised explosive devices.
Support to the UPDF consisted of activity with several different units; none of these units is part of the Ugandan Special Forces Command.
Asked by: Paul Williams (Labour - Stockton South)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 16 October 2018 to Question 176667 on Uganda: Military Aid, what training and support the Government offers to (a) Uganda's Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence and (b) Uganda's Police Rapid Response Unit.
Answered by Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton
I can confirm that members of the Ugandan armed forces have received intelligence training provided by the UK, but it is not our practice to comment in detail on the nature of intelligence relationships with other nations. HM Government provides no support to Uganda's Police Rapid Response Unit. As part of our engagement we emphasise the importance of professional forces operating within the framework of international law.
Asked by: Paul Williams (Labour - Stockton South)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what military support the Government provides to Uganda.
Answered by Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton
The majority of UK military support to Uganda is training to prepare Ugandan troops for duty in the African Union Mission to Somalia, which includes training officer cadets at Sandhurst and senior officers at the UK Defence Academy. In addition, we train officers from Uganda and other countries for future peace support operations by the Eastern Africa Standby Force. We also provide legal and staff training to the Ugandan People's Defence Force, and have been supporting the Ugandan Wildlife Authority and Ugandan Police Force in their work to combat the illegal wildlife trade, by providing training and secure facilities for weapons and recovered animal products. In partnership with the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, the Czech Republic and others we have also funded and delivered training for Uganda and other East African Community countries on chemical risk assessment and response planning. All of our support emphasises the importance of professional forces operating within the framework of international law and, wherever appropriate, our training includes elements of International Humanitarian Law, Law of Armed Conflict, and Women, Peace and Security.