New NDF chief maps out his role

A SMALL, well-trained defence force with sufficient military equipment to protect the nation is the vision of the newly appointed Chief of Defence, Lieutenant General Martin Shalli.

Shalli took over as the third chief of the NDF from Lieutenant General Solomon Hawala last week. In an interview with The Namibian yesterday, Shalli paid tribute to his predecessors and talked about the NDF and its place in the regional and continental context.”Our first Chief of Defence (CDF), Lieutenant General Dimo Hamaambo, built the Namibia Defence Force (NDF) from scratch in 1990, unifying former enemies of the People’s Liberation Army of Namibia (Plan) and soldiers who fought under South Africa in the SWA Territorial Force (SWATF) against Plan and the process went well,” Shalli said.Hamaambo retired in November 2000 and was followed by Hawala.”I will just continue where my two predecessors left off,” Shalli said humbly.Aged 52, the career soldier spent 15 years fighting for Namibia’s freedom and was then given the rank of Brigadier General as Chief of Operations in the new NDF in 1990, a position he previously held in Plan.TESTING TIMES He was soon promoted to Major General when he became Chief of Staff in the mid-nineties.His mettle was quickly put to the test with the sudden deployment of NDF soldiers in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 1998, and the Caprivi secessionist attempt in 1999, which resulted in a three-week state of emergency in that region.Shalli gave daily press conferences during that testing time and they became legendary events due to his no-nonsense style, succinct answers, distinct sense of humour and ability to feed only the minimum of information to the media, despite persistent probing.In 2001, Shalli became army commander at the Grootfontein headquarters until his sudden dispatch as a diplomat to Lusaka, Zambia, in February 2005 until his present appointment last week.”A national defence force is there to protect the nation and since Independence we established the army, air force and the navy, the latter two being now fully fledged with a proper naval base at Walvis Bay and the air force stationed at Grootfontein.”Asked about changing defence needs in a globalised world, Shalli said military equipment evolved constantly but also had a limited lifespan, and replacements were expensive.”We need more resources for equipment, also to house our troops properly; many live in former army bases left by the South Africans nearly 17 years ago.”Plans are afoot to establish a military academy in due course, the new CDF told The Namibian.”This academy will present tailor-made courses for technicians, information technology specialists and to train our own officers.Friendly countries also assist with training our NDF members here at home and several of our officers abroad.”On HIV-AIDS and its effect on the NDF, Shalli said the pandemic was “a real threat”, but awareness campaigns run among the troops were showing positive results.”You cannot control people in their bedrooms but you can make them aware of the risk involved with HIV infection so that they protect themselves with a condom.The mindset is changing, our troops are more aware of the dangers regarding AIDS, as this disease can reverse the gains achieved in Namibia since Independence.”CO-OPERATION MATTERS Shalli would not disclose the size of the NDF – “it’s a secret” he said – but according to the national Budget documents of two years ago, the NDF has approximately 12 000 members and has an annual intake of about 1 500 new recruits.”No enlargement of the NDF is envisaged for the time being, we are happy with the size as it is now.”On regional issues such as integration and closer military co-operation among Southern African Development Community (SADC) member states, Shalli said more emphasis was laid on co-operation within the SADC Organ on Politics, Defence and Security.”There is the Strategic Indicative Plan for that Organ (SIPO) and a SADC military standby force will be inaugurated by August next year,” he told The Namibian.”Namibia is actively playing its part with regional co-operation in the security sector and will be part of that standby force.We discuss issues also during the annual joint commissions we regularly have with our neighbouring countries such as Angola, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana and South Africa.The more united Africa becomes, the fewer the conflicts and the African Union is working towards a United States of Africa,” Shalli said.”This includes the African standby force already in existence.”Asked if there was a shift in the role of the military from mainly national duties towards increased peacekeeping in other countries and help when natural disasters arise, the new Chief of Defence agreed.”We attach great importance to our neighbours in the region, but Namibia is also part of the international community, Namibia’s existence as a sovereign nation came about because of the international community and the United Nations.As Defence Minister Charles Namoloh told Parliament recently, we have over 900 troops deployed in support missions in Africa, Kosovo, Serbia and in Eritrea.”Shalli is presently wearing two hats: he is de facto still the Namibian High Commissioner to Zambia.He could not say when a new diplomat would be appointed in his place.While in Lusaka, Shalli started studying law at the University of Zambia.”I find the course very interesting; law can be applied in so many fields and I want to complete the degree,” the new man in command of the NDF says.On the personal front, Shalli was not prepared to reveal much, apart from revealing that he loves to read when he finds some spare time.In an interview with The Namibian yesterday, Shalli paid tribute to his predecessors and talked about the NDF and its place in the regional and continental context.”Our first Chief of Defence (CDF), Lieutenant General Dimo Hamaambo, built the Namibia Defence Force (NDF) from scratch in 1990, unifying former enemies of the People’s Liberation Army of Namibia (Plan) and soldiers who fought under South Africa in the SWA Territorial Force (SWATF) against Plan and the process went well,” Shalli said.Hamaambo retired in November 2000 and was followed by Hawala.”I will just continue where my two predecessors left off,” Shalli said humbly.Aged 52, the career soldier spent 15 years fighting for Namibia’s freedom and was then given the rank of Brigadier General as Chief of Operations in the new NDF in 1990, a position he previously held in Plan. TESTING TIMES He was soon promoted to Major General when he became Chief of Staff in the mid-nineties.His mettle was quickly put to the test with the sudden deployment of NDF soldiers in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 1998, and the Caprivi secessionist attempt in 1999, which resulted in a three-week state of emergency in that region.Shalli gave daily press conferences during that testing time and they became legendary events due to his no-nonsense style, succinct answers, distinct sense of humour and ability to feed only the minimum of information to the media, despite persistent probing.In 2001, Shalli became army commander at the Grootfontein headquarters until his sudden dispatch as a diplomat to Lusaka, Zambia, in February 2005 until his present appointment last week.”A national defence force is there to protect the nation and since Independence we established the army, air force and the navy, the latter two being now fully fledged with a proper naval base at Walvis Bay and the air force stationed at Grootfontein.”Asked about changing defence needs in a globalised world, Shalli said military equipment evolved constantly but also had a limited lifespan, and replacements were expensive.”We need more resources for equipment, also to house our troops properly; many live in former army bases left by the South Africans nearly 17 years ago.”Plans are afoot to establish a military academy in due course, the new CDF told The Namibian.”This academy will present tailor-made courses for technicians, information technology specialists and to train our own officers.Friendly countries also assist with training our NDF members here at home and several of our officers abroad.”On HIV-AIDS and its effect on the NDF, Shalli said the pandemic was “a real threat”, but awareness campaigns run among the troops were showing positive results.”You cannot control people in their bedrooms but you can make them aware of the risk involved with HIV infection so that they protect themselves with a condom.The mindset is changing, our troops are more aware of the dangers regarding AIDS, as this disease can reverse the gains achieved in Namibia since Independence.”CO-OPERATION MATTERS Shalli would not disclose the size of the NDF – “it’s a secret” he said – but according to the national Budget documents of two years ago, the NDF has approximately 12 000 members and has an annual intake of about 1 500 new recruits.”No enlargement of the NDF is envisaged for the time being, we are happy with the size as it is now.”On regional issues such as integration and closer military co-operation among Southern African Development Community (SADC) member states, Shalli said more emphasis was laid on co-operation within the SADC Organ on Politics, Defence and Security.”There is the Strategic Indicative Plan for that Organ (SIPO) and a SADC military standby force will be inaugurated by August next year,” he told The Namibian.”Namibia is actively playing its part with regional co-operation in the security sector and will be part of that standby force.We discuss issues also during the annual joint commissions we regularly have with our neighbouring countries such as Angola, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana and South Africa.The more united Africa becomes, the fewer the conflicts and the African Union is working towards a United States of Africa,” Shalli said.”This includes the African standby force already in existence.”Asked if there was a shift in the role of the military from mainly national duties towards increased peacekeeping in other countries and help when natural disasters arise, the new Chief of Defence agreed.”We attach great importance to our neighbours in the region, but Namibia is also part of the international community, Namibia’s existence as a sovereign nation came about because of the international community and the United Nations.As Defence Minister Charles Namoloh told Parliament recently, we have over 900 troops deployed in support missions in Africa, Kosovo, Serbia and in Eritrea.”Shalli is presently wearing two hats: he is de facto still the Namibian High Commissioner to Zambia.He could not say when a new diplomat would be appointed in his place.While in Lusaka, Shalli started studying law at the University of Zambia.”I find the course very interesting; law can be applied in so many fields and I want to complete the degree,” the new man in command of the NDF says.On the personal front, Shalli was not prepared to reveal much, apart from revealing that he loves to read when he finds some spare time.