The Army of Zimbabwe: A Role Model for Namibia
Abstract
In the months following independence in April 1980 the government of Zimbabwe was faced with the dual tasks of disarming and demobilizing vast numbers of former Rhodesian soldiers and Popular Front guerrillas as well as creating a new national army. In the months following independence in March 1990 the government of Namibia will be faced with identical tasks. The success of the Zimbabwe experiment would argue strongly that similar methods should be used in Namibia. While certain conditions prevalent in Zimbabwe may not exist in Namibia, the essential problem is the same. The use of the British Military Advisory and Training Team (BMATT) in Zimbabwe since 1980 has met with a very high degree of success. The use of BMATT in Namibia could promise similar results. This study reviews how Zimbabwe became an independent state and how its army was formed. It suggests that the experience gained by BMATT could be effectively used in Namibia in the weeks to come. At the time this study is being printed information is slowly emerging that a British military team is in Namibia, and that the BMATT concept for Namibia is being considered by high level British military authorities. I regret that I was unable to publish this study when I first reached similar conclusions in September 1989. The paper would have been more timely. (eg)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 02, 1990
- Accession Number
- ADA220626
Entities
People
- David C. Bennett
Organizations
- United States Army War College