{"id":121925,"date":"2026-04-11T11:46:12","date_gmt":"2026-04-11T11:46:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/all-news\/updf-air-force-graduates-33-in-air-defence-course"},"modified":"2026-04-11T11:59:28","modified_gmt":"2026-04-11T11:59:28","slug":"updf-air-force-graduates-33-in-air-defence-course","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/all-news\/updf-air-force-graduates-33-in-air-defence-course","title":{"rendered":"UPDF Air Force Graduates 33 in Air Defence Course"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"color: #ff6600\"><strong>Africa-Press &#8211; Uganda. <\/strong><\/span><b>The Commandant of the Uganda Peoples\u2019 Defence Forces (UPDF) Air Force College Brigadier General Allan Kalanzi, has emphasised the critical role of continuous training in ensuring military effectiveness and mission success.<\/b><\/p>\n<p>He made the remarks a the graduation of 33 personnel from the Air Defence Operations Officers Course, marking a significant milestone in strengthening the force\u2019s operational readiness and air defence capability.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn the military, training is one of the most important activities after operations. Its ultimate aim is to prepare individuals and units for success in operations,\u201d he said at the pass-out ceremony held at the Air Operations and Command Centre (AOCC) in Entebbe.<\/p>\n<p>Brig Gen Kalanzi called upon the newly trained officers to uphold discipline, professionalism, and dedication in the execution of their duties. He also cautioned against corruption and discouraged what he termed \u201callowance nomadism,\u201d urging personnel to remain focused on service delivery and national duty.<\/p>\n<p>Brig Gen Kalanzi stated that ongoing efforts to enhance operational capacity through sustained training programs, while noting that leadership remains committed to addressing challenges related to infrastructure, human resources, and personnel welfare.<\/p>\n<p>The Commander of AOCC, Lieutenant Colonel Benon Byakureme, described the course as a critical component in the professional development of Air Force personnel. He underscored its importance in equipping officers with the necessary skills to operate effectively within increasingly complex air defence environments.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis course reflects the commitment of both the trainees and the institution to excellence in operational readiness. The officers have been prepared to operate within the complex air defence and AOCC environment,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Lt Col Byakureme added that the transformation exhibited by the graduates is a testament to disciplined training, teamwork, and professional dedication, noting that the AOCC continues to play a pivotal role in enhancing airspace surveillance as well as command and control capabilities.<\/p>\n<p>During the ceremony, several trainees were recognized for outstanding performance. Major Richard Tayebwa received the award for best leadership, Lieutenant Vincent Abitegeka was named best team player, Sergeant Byaruhanga Godfrey emerged as the best overall student in both theory and practical assessments, while Private Kinyeera Moses was honored for excellence in practical and system operations.<\/p>\n<p>The ceremony was attended by senior and junior UPDF Air Force officers, including Brigadier General Richard Rubongoya, Director of Human Resource Air Force, Colonel Mango Baraza (DHRM-SFC), and other distinguished guests, alongside serving and retired personnel.<\/p>\n<p>The successful completion of the Air Defence Operations Officers Course underscores the UPDF Air Force\u2019s continued commitment to building a highly skilled, professional, and mission-ready force capable of safeguarding Uganda\u2019s airspace.<\/p>\n<p><strong>For More News And Analysis About <span style=\"color: #ff6600\">Uganda<\/span> Follow <span style=\"color: #ff6600\">Africa-Press<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Africa-Press &#8211; Uganda. The Commandant of the Uganda Peoples\u2019 Defence Forces (UPDF) Air Force College Brigadier General Allan Kalanzi, has emphasised the critical role of continuous training in ensuring military effectiveness and mission success. He made the remarks a the graduation of 33 personnel from the Air Defence Operations Officers Course, marking a significant milestone [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":121924,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,7,12],"tags":[234],"class_list":["post-121925","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-head-lines","category-policy","tag-uganda"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.1 (Yoast SEO v27.0) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>UPDF Air Force Graduates 33 in Air Defence Course - Uganda<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The Commandant of the Uganda Peoples\u2019 Defence Forces (UPDF) Air Force College Brigadier General Allan Kalanzi, has em ...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/all-news\/updf-air-force-graduates-33-in-air-defence-course\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"UPDF Air Force Graduates 33 in Air Defence Course\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Commandant of the Uganda Peoples\u2019 Defence Forces (UPDF) Air Force College Brigadier General Allan Kalanzi, has em ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/all-news\/updf-air-force-graduates-33-in-air-defence-course\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Uganda\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AfricaPressTunisiaa\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-04-11T11:46:12+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-04-11T11:59:28+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/uganda\/sites\/34\/2026\/04\/sm_1775896129.737203.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1080\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"540\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/all-news\/updf-air-force-graduates-33-in-air-defence-course#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/all-news\/updf-air-force-graduates-33-in-air-defence-course\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"UPDF Air Force Graduates 33 in Air Defence Course\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-04-11T11:46:12+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-04-11T11:59:28+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/all-news\/updf-air-force-graduates-33-in-air-defence-course\"},\"wordCount\":444,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/all-news\/updf-air-force-graduates-33-in-air-defence-course#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/uganda\/sites\/34\/2026\/04\/sm_1775896129.737203.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"uganda\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"head lines\",\"policy\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/all-news\/updf-air-force-graduates-33-in-air-defence-course#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/all-news\/updf-air-force-graduates-33-in-air-defence-course\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/all-news\/updf-air-force-graduates-33-in-air-defence-course\",\"name\":\"UPDF Air Force Graduates 33 in Air Defence Course - 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