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Commander Zimbabwe National Army Lieutenant-General Philip Valerio Sibanda receives a token of appreciation from Major Victor Makomo after the Logistics Staff Course Number Four graduation ceremony held at the Zimbabwe Staff College in Harare yesterday. — Picture by Shelton Muchena

Tadious Manyepo and Joyce Mukucha—
THE Zimbabwe Staff College (ZSC) in partnership with Chinhoyi University of Technology will introduce two logistics-related degree programmes beginning next year, as the army moves to improve its proficiency. Speaking at a graduation ceremony for Logistics Staff Course Number Four, Commander Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA) Lieutenant-General Philip Valerio Sibanda said the Zimbabwe Defence Forces needs to address a number of fundamental issues, especially logistics, in line with modern trends.

“In line with its (ZSC’s) new mandate, vision and mission, the college is vigorously working to introduce two degree programmes in 2018, namely: Bachelor of Arts (Honours) degree in Defence and Security Studies, and on the logistics front, a Bachelor of Science (Honours) degree in Defence Logistics,” said Lt-Gen Sibanda.

Thirteen students, including one female, graduated yesterday. Lt-Gen Sibanda urged graduates to apply the skills they acquired during the four month-long period to transform the country. “Establishment of a fully fledged logistics division at this college is a significant landmark in the development of logistics staff officers. It shows how far we have come in the pursuit of our vision to have a professional, highly effective and constantly improving force, which our country needs and deserves.

“It is not enough to be knowledgeable if you are not going to use the knowledge for your own positive transformation, that of your subordinates, institutions and organisations we belong to, and indeed our country,” he said. He encouraged the graduates to develop the emotional intelligence required to cope and adapt in a constantly changing world.

“The knowledge you have gained from this college will only be meaningful and important if it is applied and becomes part and parcel of our organisational transformation. You need to adopt a global mindset that seeks to learn from the experiences of other countries, far and near, so that we do not waste valuable time repeating mistakes that we should have learnt to avoid.” He urged them to master the key logistics concepts that should help them manage the scarce financial and material resources in the organisation.

“You should understand that training is fundamental to continuity and this programme provided an interactive forum for you as officers to share, explore and discuss ideas related to best practices in logistics. It gave you insights into the process of planning, coordinating and executing military logistics support at tactical, operational and strategic levels,” he said.

Lt-Gen Sibanda said the college should formulate a deliberate research agenda that is informed by its current logistics challenges, technological developments, recent transformations in the conduct of warfare, as well as through anticipated changes in the global logistics landscape.