THE ADDRESS BY DR. FLORENS M. TURUKA, PERMANENT SECRETARY, MINISTRY OF DEFENCE AND NATIONAL SERVICE AT THE INAUGURATION CEREMONY OF BACHELOR OF MILITARY SCIENCE PROGRAMME INTAKE 64/17 (BMS), AT THE TANZANIA MILITARY ACADEMY - MONDULI, ON 20TH NOVEMBER, 2017

The Chief of the Defence Forces, General Venance Salvatory Mabeyo,
Former Chief of the Defence Forces, General Mirisho Hagai Sarakikya,
Monduli District Commissioner,
Chief of the National Service, Major General Michael Isamuhyo,
Formation Commanders,
Commandant, Tanzania Military Academy, Major General Paul Peter Massao,
Representatives from the Ministry of Finance & Planning,
Rector, Institute of Accountancy Arusha,
Branch Chiefs from National Defence Forces Headquarters,
Commandants from Military Colleges, Schools and Training Centres,
Brigade Commander, 303 Infantry Brigade Group,
Generals Present,
Commandant, Police Academy Moshi,
The Principal, Tanzania (Regional) Immigration Training Academy,
Representative from various Universities and Colleges,
Officers and Men,
Officer Cadets,
Invited Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Good Morning!
At the outset, let me take this opportunity to thank the Almighty God for His Grace in bringing all of us here today for this special event.

I am very grateful to the Tanzania Peoples Defence Forces for extending the invitation to be the Guest of Honor in the launch of the Military Science Programme at the Tanzania Military Academy, Monduli. Indeed, this is another testimony, of the determination of Government of the United Republic of Tanzania through the Ministry of Defence and National Service and in particular the Tanzania Peoples Defence Forces, to embrace science and technology in the course of modernizing the Defence Forces for the purpose of addressing present and future defence and security challenges.

Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen;
As you would know, contemporary defence and security environment is complex, volatile and with lots of uncertainty. The nature of defence and security challenges has been changing over time with new threats also emerging. The new threats have included terrorism, cyber crimes, violent extremism, competition over scarce resources, corruption, unemployment, maritime piracy, climate change, drug trafficking and abuse, human trafficking and poverty, to mention a few. Moreover, the nature and character of warfare have also changed partly due to development in science and technology. The emergence of new technologies in areas such as cyber, big data and analytics, internet of things, autonomous and unmanned systems, advanced manufacturing require new defence capabilities, are bound to have major impacts on defence and warfare in the future, and hence requiring new defence capabilities. 
Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen;
At the continental level, Africa faces multidimensional security challenges which are threats to national centric and human security domains. The Lagos Plan of Action of 1980 and the African Union Vision 2063, underline key aspects of human resource development as an important attribute in achieving national security strategies to enhance countries’ economic prosperity. Defence Forces play a crucial role in spearheading national development by creating favorable environments for other key sectors of the economy to function. This is a demanding task. 

Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen;
Science and technology has been an essential element of defence and security. Numerous examples exist where science and technology has played vital role in military operations, securing operational advantage, be it in the military capability, equipment, doctrine and tactics, or decision making. Science and technology has made critical impact in determining equipment as well as the operational requirements, reducing casualties, improving protection and also in forensics. Thus, science and technology must be embraced in the defence forces and be rebalanced towards addressing future challenges. Developing in house science and technology capacities and skills is critical. The military must develop cadres of technologically competent officers with requisite understanding and operational skills to excel in the ever evolving defence and security demands and threat environment. In addition, the Ministry as well as the defence forces cannot be competent customer for science and technology without (for example in acquisition, procurement and deployment of equipment and arsenals) having this in house science and technology capability.

Science and technology is also needed to support policy development and strategic force planning. For example, this may call for a system that allows a group of select officers to move between operational and science and technology tracks throughout their careers with a goal of creating a cohort that has demonstrated excellence in both fields, and that is able to reach the highest levels of the military and national defence and security communities. In addition, this may call for the entire force to be sensitized and appreciate the role of science and technology world, so that as a minimum, they recognize the tactical, operational and strategic applications of emerging science and technologies, and understand the value they offer. Therefore, we need to build stronger defence forces capacities and capabilities institutions and mechanisms that would harness the powers of science and technology to ensure the achievement of national security objectives, to include state centric security, national sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Tanzania Development Vision 2025 vies to achieve middle income and a semi industrialized country status by 2025. To attain this, the Tanzania Development Vision 2025 has identified five focus areas namely: high quality livelihood; peace, stability and unity; good governance; well educated and learned society; and a strong and competitive economy. These aspirations demand a well thought through framework. As we are all aware, the Fifth Phase Government under leadership of H.E. Dr. John Pombe Joseph Magufuli, the President of the United Republic of Tanzania, is determined to develop the industrial sector in contributing to the attainment of the Tanzania Development Vision 2025. Experiences from a number of countries shows that defence industries have not only contributed significantly to the industrial development, but they have been an important in generating export earnings, employment and overall economic growth. Thus, developing defence forces capacities in science, (engineering) and technology is of paramount importance in supporting the defence industries in particular and the national industrialization agenda in general. It is against this backdrop, Defence Forces need to embrace science and technology in training the Officers and Men, in order to not only have competent, modern, and well equipped Armed Forces, with skills and knowledge in order to perform their responsibilities in a professional way, but also to support the development of the defence industries.

Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen,
To achieve this, we need to have well trained Members of the Armed Forces who must all the time be able to offer the best military solutions and deliver defence services effectively and efficiently. This requires credible strategies for modernization and transformation. The TPDF, through the Tanzania Military Academy, has made another necessary change, to further embrace science and technology in the defence forces. Once again, I commend the Tanzania Peoples Defence Forces and Tanzania Military Academy for the decision to embark on training programme in Bachelor of Military Science.

Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen,
As it has been underlined by the Commandant, Tanzania Military Academy has long been an iconic institution to Tanzania and Africa at large. It has played a major role in training officers not only for Tanzania but also for several African countries notably Botswana, Burundi, Comoro, DR-Congo, Kenya, Lesotho, Rwanda, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Swaziland, Uganda, Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Zambia. I understand that for the Academy to have the credibility to train officers from other countries it must have in place mechanisms for ensuring the professional standards and quality assurance are not compromised. I call upon the Tanzania Peoples Defence Forces and the Tanzania Military Academy leadership to uphold the Academy’s credibility and should not to be compromised at any cost. 

The government understands well that meaningful and sustained investment (over long period of time) is required in providing requisite defence capabilities in science and technology. We understand that this cannot be a short term undertaking. Thus, the government is in full support of these efforts and will do whatever it takes to ensure that our defence forces do well in their mandates and more so in the defence and security even with the emergence of new threats.

Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen,
I would like also to commend the strategic partnership between the Defence Forces through Tanzania Military Academy and the Institute of Accountancy Arusha (IAA), National Council for Technical Education (NACTE), Tanzania Commission for Universities (TCU) and other institutions for their tireless efforts in which, today we are all witnessing the outcome of this cooperation. This marks the beginning of another chapter in academic cooperation between the defence forces and civilian institutions. It is an excellent point of departure that shows a bright future of strategic partnerships between our Defence Forces and other Government Institutions. The Government (Ministry of Defence and National Service) has noted with great pleasure that training programme in Military Science has been aligned with national regulatory frameworks (qualifications and standards). We believe that this alignment will enable access to alternative civilian careers by providing portable skills and qualifications under this programme.

Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen,
To the trainees who are soon going to start their long training journey; you have gone through rigorous stages in the selection process, and finally you are the ones who have fulfilled the military, Tanzania Commission for Universities (TCU) and National Council for Technical Education (NACTE) criteria to undertake this programme. I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate all of you for this achievement. We all know that military training is a highly demanding task which will involve both mental and physical capability. Your diligence, resilience and integrity are of paramount importance for your success in this programme. Furthermore, you need to demonstrate to the institution that you can pursue the military training programme and contribute to the achievement of wider national interests. I call upon you to take this challenge and I believe you will measure to it.

Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen,
After these few remarks, I now have a singular honor to declare that the Officer Cadet Course Intake 64/17 in Bachelor of Military Science Programme is officially launched.

Thank you very much for your attention.