US looks to improve Ugandan peacekeeping

The Peace Operations Training Centre in Singo already has a MOUT training site made of largely shipping containers, seen here in October 2017, when US marines trained the UPDF's Battle Group 24 before it deployed to Somalia. (15th Marine Expeditionary Unit)

The US Department of State (DoS) is looking for contractors to train Uganda People's Defence Force (UPDF) personnel deploying on peacekeeping missions as well as build a new training facility, according to recent notices published via the System for Award Management website.

A request for information (RFI) released by the US DoS on 9 May noted that the UPDF currently contributes more than seven combined arms battalions (6,070 personnel) to the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) as well as a small guard battalion to the United Nations Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM).

It said it was seeking contractors that can “build the UPDF's capacity to prepare, deploy, and sustain effective peacekeeping forces in support of UN-mandated tasks” under its Global Peace Operations Initiative.

The contractor would be expected to develop and deliver high-quality training informed by the latest UN and African Union policy, doctrine, and guidance that will include classroom, practical, and field training exercises. It would also have to provide strategic mentoring to improve the UPDF's operational readiness and self-sufficiency, as well as provide the necessary equipment for pre-deployment training for the Peace Operations Training Centre (POTC).

If a request for proposal (RFP) is released and a contract awarded, it is expected to cover a one-year period with options for another three years.

Another RFI released on 15 March sought a contractor to build a new military operations in urban terrain (MOUT) training site at the UPDF's POTC in Singo.