STOP SPREADING MISINFORMATION ABOUT THE ROLE OF ZAMBIA ARMY IN INTERNAL SECURITY – Saviour Chishimba

STOP SPREADING MISINFORMATION ABOUT THE ROLE OF ZAMBIA ARMY IN INTERNAL SECURITY

I am utterly shocked that people who aspire to become Commander-in-Chief of the Defence Force can propagate the dangerous fiction that the Zambia Army has no role in internal security because anything occurring within our borders belongs exclusively to Zambia Police. What kind of defence doctrine is that? There is no imaginary constitutional wall separating “external defence” from “internal security”. The Police has primary responsibility for ordinary law enforcement, yes, but the military exists to defend the State, its sovereignty, constitutional order and national security.

Terrorism, armed insurrection, sabotage, attacks on strategic installations, foreign sponsored destabilisation and other grave threats do not suddenly cease to be national security threats merely because they occur inside Zambia.

The Defence Force may lawfully be called upon in aid of the civil power when circumstances and the law require it. Geography does not determine whether a threat is military or national security in character. The nature, scale and gravity of the threat do

This misinformation must be corrected before it becomes accepted as constitutional doctrine. Civilian supremacy does not mean military paralysis. Military non partisanship does not mean military irrelevance to internal security. Freedom of expression does not rewrite defence doctrine.

To proclaim categorically that domestic security belongs to the Zambia Police while the Army must concern itself only with threats beyond Zambia’s borders is not sophisticated constitutionalism.

It is a fundamental misunderstanding of the architecture of national defence. Anyone aspiring to command the Defence Force as President of the Republic should understand that distinction.

Saviour Chishimba
President
United Progressive People (UPP)
UPND Alliance Partner