Defence Attachés accredited to Uganda and senior military officers have been warned about the growing threat of information warfare, which is increasingly reshaping how modern conflicts are fought and managed.
The warning was delivered during a high-level engagement at the Heritage Farm Command Post in Kirema, Nakaseke District, where the Chief Coordinator of Operation Wealth Creation, Gen Salim Saleh, urged security officials to rethink traditional approaches to warfare in response to evolving global threats.
Gen Saleh said modern security challenges are no longer confined to conventional battlefields, noting that conflict dynamics have shifted significantly over time, drawing lessons from Uganda’s own liberation history.
“We started looking at other forms of warfare that we did not expect,” Gen Saleh said.
He emphasized that today’s armed forces must be prepared to confront complex, non-kinetic threats such as information-driven campaigns and mass mobilisation, which can influence stability without direct combat.
According to him, military preparedness must now go beyond weapons and tactics to include a deeper understanding of society and communication trends shaping public perception and behaviour.
“There is a need for armies to understand what is happening in society and the socio-economic conditions of the people,” he said.
Gen Saleh linked these developments to reforms within the Uganda Peoples’ Defence Forces, which he said were inspired by President Yoweri Museveni’s vision of an army that contributes to both security and national development.
He noted that this approach has expanded the military’s role in community development programmes such as Operation Wealth Creation and the Parish Development Model, aimed at improving household incomes and food security.
“He envisaged a force capable of contributing to food security, participating in wealth creation, and eventually manufacturing some of its own requirements and equipment,” Gen Saleh said.
The Acting Deputy Chief Coordinator of OWC, Brig Gen Godfrey Muwanguzi, highlighted agriculture as a key pillar of household income, saying the four-acre model promotes efficient land use through diversified farming.
Representing the Chief of Defence Intelligence and Security, Col Allan Matsiko commended Gen Saleh for linking Uganda’s liberation struggle to current security and development strategies, noting the importance of continued learning in defence and intelligence operations.
The meeting was also attended by the Secretary General of the National Resistance Movement, Hon. Richard Todwong, and the Commander of the 1 Infantry Division, Brig Gen Fred Mwesigye, among other senior officials.
