KAMPALA, Oct. 5 (Xinhua) -- A four-day conference of African defense chiefs opened here Monday to discuss ways to strengthen African countries' responses to emerging and non-traditional security threats.
The conference, the first of its kind to focus on Military Operations Other Than War, brought together defense and military operations experts from more than 18 countries, African Union (AU) regional bodies, and force commanders from United Nations and AU peace support missions, according to a statement issued by the Uganda Peoples' Defense Forces (UPDF).
Opening the conference, UPDF Chief of Joint Staff Lt. Gen. Jack Bakasumba said Africa's security environment had changed significantly, requiring militaries to adapt to a broad range of threats, including terrorism, organized crime, cyber warfare, public health emergencies and climate-related crises.
"Across Africa and the wider global arena, the security landscape has evolved away from interstate warfare, shifting instead toward a challenging matrix of interstate conflict and complex non-traditional threats," Bakasumba said.
He said the conference aimed to move beyond discussions of familiar security challenges and develop practical and coordinated mechanisms to respond to emerging threats.
"It is our regional cooperation that must be enhanced. It is our standard operating procedures that require standardization. It is our training and equipment procurement that should be streamlined," he said.
Bakasumba stressed the need for improved information sharing, joint communications and rapidly deployable capabilities to enable African countries to respond effectively when crises arise.
"We gather here today with a shared belief that Africa must strengthen its African-led, practical and coordinated responses to these emerging threats," he said.
According to the statement, the conference is expected to strengthen national and regional capacity to address Military Operations Other Than War scenarios, while promoting collaboration, partnerships and defense diplomacy across the continent. ■