Addis Ababa, October 8, 2026 (FMC) — Ethiopia is taking part in high-level African defence deliberations in Kampala as defence chiefs and senior military leaders from across the continent explore coordinated responses to an increasingly complex security environment.
The inaugural African Chiefs of Defence Forces Conference on Military Operations Other Than War (MOOTW), underway in Kampala from October 5 to 8, is bringing together military leaders and security officials to examine threats extending beyond conventional warfare and to strengthen African preparedness for emerging security challenges.
Ethiopia is represented by Major General Teshome Gemechu, Director General of Foreign Relations and Military Cooperation at the Ministry of Defense, attending on behalf of Field Marshal Birhanu Jula, Chief of General Staff of the Ethiopian National Defence Forces (ENDF).
The conference is addressing a broad range of contemporary security challenges, including terrorism, transnational organised crime, cyber warfare, artificial intelligence, unmanned aerial systems, public health emergencies, climate-related crises and natural disasters.
The deliberations are also examining peace support operations, maritime and border security, protection of critical infrastructure and natural resources, military support to civil authorities, as well as legal and ethical considerations surrounding operations beyond traditional combat missions.
For African defence establishments, the discussions come amid a rapidly changing security landscape in which conventional military threats increasingly intersect with transnational crime, technological disruption, humanitarian emergencies, climate-related risks and other non-traditional security challenges.
The conference provides Ethiopia and other participating African countries with a platform to exchange operational experience, assess evolving threats and explore practical avenues for stronger military coordination and collective preparedness.
The ongoing Kampala deliberations underscore the growing importance of African-led security mechanisms and the need for defence institutions across the continent to develop coordinated capabilities capable of addressing both conventional and emerging threats.