Tanzania Army - History
The country's army from independence in December 1961 until the mutiny in January 1964 had been formed from units of the British colonial army known as the King's African Rifles, renamed the Tanganyika Rifles. It was a small force made up of professional soldiers, a few of whom were veterans of World War II and a few others who were veterans of the British campaigns against the Mau Mau in Kenya.
As was customary with colonial troops (as well as with British troops), the men of the Tanganyika Rifles were apolitical; their function was to fight during wartime and to train for that fighting or perform ceremonial duties during peacetime. The soldiers had not played a role in achieving independence nor were they called on for any meaningful tasks during the infancy of the new state.
In essence the life of a soldier in January 1964 had not changed measurably in two years of independence, he was poorly paid, most of his officers were British, and his monotonous day-to-day routine allowed him plenty of time to meditate on his dissatisfactions. The week-long mutiny brought an end to the semi-colonial Tanganyika Rifles and paved the way for a truly national army.
The army that was created differed not only from its predecessor but also from most other African armies that had evolved from colonial antecedents. Tanzania's military lacked much of the colonial orientation that was the hallmark of the armies of newly independent African states. It is true that British rank structure and insignia and British methods of training continued to be used.
But recruiting a completely new complement of troops and pro¬moting a handful of young African officers into command positions allowed Nyerere to set standards that were in accord with his own precepts rather than those developed by the British. The nationalistic atmosphere that prevailed after the mutiny also was conducive to the creation of a truly African force — one that was Tanzanian rather than the hybrid contingent that had previously existed.
As soon as possible after the UK Royal Marine commandos had put clown the mutiny and re-established order in the country, Nyerere secured African assistance. A Nigerian battalion moved in to replace the British on 09 April 1964, and stayed for almost six months, providing the stability needed by the Nyerere government while it recruited and trained its new army.
During 1964 the president impressed on his people and particularly on his army recruits that their new military organization was indeed different. Instead of the professional soldier of old, the new man in the ranks would be a citizen-soldier, recruited not only for his worthwhileness as a soldier, which had been the guideline of British recruiters, but also for his worthwhileness as a citizen.
The authorities at first encouraged recruits to become party members, but before long party or Youth League membership became a prerequisite to enlistment. Nationalism and enthusiasm for nation-building were to be instilled in the new soldiers, and they were to be involved in projects that would take them out among the people rather than being sequestered in garrisons.
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