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TPDF History - 2007-xxxx - A New Focus

The Tanzanian People's Defense Force (TPDF) has taken a significantly more active role in regional and international issues while simultaneously implementing broad structural changes within its own organization. Since 2007, the TPDF has deployed forces to the United Nations Interim Mission in Lebanon (UNIFIL), the United Nations-African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID), and will soon deploy trainers to the United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC).

Furthermore, in April 2008 the TPDF spearheaded an African Union (AU) sanctioned coalition mission to re-establish the authority of the elected government of one of the Comoran Islands. Upon the successful completion of the mission, the TPDF left over 200 soldiers in the Comoros for the next nine months to assist the Comoran government in re-establishing control on the island.

At the regional level, Tanzania has played a large role in both the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the East African Community (EAC). In September 2009, the TPDF deployed to a SADC stand-by brigade exercise while simultaneously hosting the EAC's first military field training exercise, Exercise Mount Kilimanjaro.

Internally, over this same two-year period the TPDF implemented a significant structural change with the establishment of a land forces command. Additionally, it recently announced an ambitious 15-year modernization program focused on upgrading the TPDF's aging military hardware. A committee composed of high-ranking military and government officials has been formed to assist in the development of the modernization program and an official way forward was expected some time in 2010.

Prior to September 2007, the US-Tanzania military-to-military relationship was limited in scope. The US had only recently established a U.S. Defense Attache Office in Tanzania (2000), and for much of the early part of the relationship, Tanzania's unwillingness to sign an Article 98 agreement with the US further limited US military engagement with the TPDF.

However, within ten days of General Mwamunyange's assumption of command, US- Tanzanian military relations shifted noticeably when the TPDF approached the US government and requested peacekeeping training under the African Contingency Operations and Training Assistance (ACOTA) program for their forces preparing to deploy to Lebanon and Darfur. ACOTA's ability to quickly and professionally respond to this short notice request went a long ways towards establishing credibility with the TPDF.

US credibility was further enhanced in the spring of 2008 when the US provided logistical assistance to the TPDF in support of the AU military operation in the Comoros. Over the next 18 months senior leader engagement visits by US military leaders from Africa Command (AFRICOM), Naval Forces Africa (NAVAF), U.S. Army Africa, Marine Forces Africa (MARFORAF), and in particular the Combined Joint Task Force-Horn Of Africa (CJTF-HOA) served to further strengthen the bilateral relationship.

In April 2009, General Mwamunyange made the first official visit by a TPDF Chief of Defense Forces to the United States, and in September 2009 President Kikwete visited the United States Military Academy at West Point where he said, "US-Tanzanian military relations have never been better."