Military leadership is a critical element of African military HIV/AIDS programs, said a senior official for Ugandan medical affairs March 2, 2009 at the Military HIV/AIDS Prevention conference in Gaborone.

In a session presented during the morning plenary, Brigadier Dr. James Makumbi, senior presidential advisor for medical affairs and chief of medical services, Uganda Peoples Defence Force, discussed the role of leadership in support of military HIV/AIDS programs in Africa.

Approximately 150 participants were in attendance at the conference, to include representatives from 26 African countries and 18 local and international non-governmental organizations. The event was sponsored by the Botswana Defence Force in collaboration with the U.S. Embassy in Botswana and the U.S. Department of Defense HIV/AIDS Prevention Program.

According to Makumbi, the risks faced by national forces are often recognizable in advance, to include the stress of deployments and associated use of alcohol. Another complication he identified is the relegation by many African militaries of HIV/AIDS program implementation to force medical departments without significant command involvement.

Makumbi spoke frankly about the challenge faced by the Ugandan Peoples Defence Force in regard to the prevalence of HIV/AIDS. "We in Uganda have been open about this issue," he commented. "On recruitment, we screen all our trainees, and the prevalence rate is similar to that in the civilian populace, approximately six percent. By the end of one to two years, when we test again, we find that the prevalence rate in the force has risen. And yet, as a military, we are the disciplined and organized people."

In regard to leadership involvement at the strategic level, Makumbi stressed the need for senior leaders to strive to influence policy at the national level to address the need for HIV screening of recruits, as well as to develop comprehensive, specific military workplace policies for HIV/AIDS testing.

Looking ahead, Makumbi stated that good policies and directives alone are not enough, but that these policies and directives must translate into action. Leaders must be actively involved, must know and appreciate the threat posed by the HIV/AIDS threat to the nation's security, and must clearly define their target populations for implementing HIV programs.