Armed forces - Uganda (original) (raw)

After Amin's regime was overthrown, a Commonwealth training force was sent to reorganize the army, which proved difficult. In 1987, the National Resistance Army (NRA) was established as the national army in the wake of another civil war. Thousands of defeated guerillas were given amnesty and integrated into the NRA, swelling its ranks to as many as 70,000–100,000 men, armed with outdated US, UK, and Russian weapons.

The Ugandan People's Defense Force was estimated at 50,000–60,000 in 2002 and consisted of four divisions armed with approximately 140 main battle tanks. There was an air wing with perhaps 16 combat aircraft. Paramilitary forces consisted of a border defense unit of around 600, some 400 marines, a police air wing of around 800, and local defense units numbering up to 15,000. Uganda has some 3,000 troops stationed in the DROC. Defense expenditures in 2001 were reported at $121.3 million, or 2.1% of GDP.