CIAO DATE: 08/2009
September 2007
Global Facilitation Network for Security Sector Reform
Between 2002 and 2004 the Ugandan Government carried out a defence review with the assistance of the UK Government. What lessons from this experience can be applied to similar reviews around the world? This report, produced by the Conflict, Security and Development Group at King's College London in partnership with Makerere University, examines the experience of the Uganda Defence Review (UDR) and highlights achievements and challenges that may help others to navigate security reviews, particularly where external assistance is involved. The report emphasises the importance of national ownership of security reviews and that methodology employed may affect whether political decision-makers accept a review's findings.
The UDR aimed to lay the ground for a significant change in how Uganda formulates and delivers its defence policy. It did this by assessing the requirements of the Uganda People's Defence Force (UPDF) and its relationship with other security actors. It was conducted by Uganda's Defence Reform Secretariat (DRS) situated in the Ministry of Defence (MoD). The UK's Security Sector Development Advisory Team, an adviser from King's College London and a number of national consultants helped develop the methodology and assisted the Review process.
Resource link: Uganda Defence Review: Learning From Experience [PDF] - 2.6M