The National Assembly Parliamentary Standing Committee on International Relations, Defense and Security paid a courtesy visit to the Chief of the Namibia Defense Forces, Air Marshal Martin Pinehas at the Defense Headquarters in Windhoek.
The Chief of Defense Forces, expressed great honor to receive members of Parliament at the Defense Headquarters.
The Committee Chairperson, Hon. James Uerikua highlighted the importance of the visit and it overall mandate and establishing such good rapport with key stakeholders to jointly advocate for concerted efforts in the safeguarding the country’s territorial integrity and sovereignty.
The CDF, Air Marshal Pinehas, underscored the importance of such engagements and noted that it is a historic visit as it is the first time a meeting of this nature is happening and cemented the significance of continuous cooperation in safeguarding the interests of our country. The Chairperson,
gave a detailed overview of the Committees activities carried out including visits to the Navy Headquarters, Impalila island and various defense establishments and military installations. He committed that the committee remains open and will willingly continue to provide support to the military and other security agencies to adopt concerted measures to address challenges.
In presentation, the Chief of Defense Forces denotes insufficient financial resources and suggests adopting of a funding model for the Namibia Defense Force. He equally bemoaned the dilapidated state of operational facilities and revealed that the defense is utilizing and building its own capacity to renovate these facilities.
He emphasized on the continuous training and capacity development and as well as providing them with the necessary equipments.
He further warns against the politicization of the defense forces, thus calling for professionalism and advocates for a stronger defense force and equally revealed ongoing exercise for military reforms aimed at positioning the Namibia armed forces on par with her peers and signifies the need for a Military Service Commission to regulate the conditions of service for the military forces.
In closing, the Chief of Defense Forces, expressed that, Namibian Soldiers are good soldiers, despite the challenges, they remain committed and steadfast in serving the Namibia Nation, he highlighted that “Defense is a public good and it serves everyone equally, with utmost diligence and professionalism”.
The Chairperson, Hon. Uerikua satisfies that the members are now well informed and more aware of the real issues around the operations of the Namibia Defense Force which will strengthen their contributions in the national legislature.
