The Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) are the armed forces of the Republic of Kenya. They are made up of the Kenya Army, Kenya Navy, and Kenya Air Force. The current KDF was established, and its composition stipulated, in Article 241 of the 2010 Constitution of Kenya; it is governed by the KDF Act of 2012. Its main mission is the defence and protection of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Kenya, recruitment to the KDF is done on yearly basis. The President of Kenya is the commander-in-chief of the KDF, and the Chief of Defence Forces is the highest-ranking military officer, and the principal military adviser to the President of Kenya.
The Namibian Defence Force (NDF) comprises the national military forces of Namibia. It was created when the country, then known as South West Africa, gained independence from apartheid South Africa in 1990. Chapter 15 of the Constitution of Namibia establishes the NDF and defines its role and purpose as, " ... to defend the territory and national interests of Namibia".
A commander-in-chief or supreme commander is the person who exercises supreme command and control over an armed force or a military branch. As a technical term, it refers to military competencies that reside in a country's executive leadership, a head of state, head of government, or other designated government official.
The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (CJCS) is the presiding officer of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS). The chairman is the highest-ranking and most senior military officer in the United States Armed Forces and the principal military advisor to the president, the National Security Council, the Homeland Security Council, and the secretary of defense. While the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff outranks all other commissioned officers, the chairman is prohibited by law from having operational command authority over the armed forces; however, the chairman assists the president and the secretary of defense in exercising their command functions.
The General Staff of the Turkish Armed Forces is the highest staff organization in the Turkish Armed Forces.
The Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC) is, in principle, the highest-ranking and senior most uniformed military officer, typically at four-star rank, in the Pakistan Armed Forces who serves as a principal staff officer (PSO) and a chief military adviser to the civilian government led by elected prime minister of Pakistan and the National Security Council. The role of advisement is also extended to the elected members in the bicameral parliament and the ministry of Defence. The chairman leads the meetings and coordinates the combined efforts of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (JCSC), comprising the chairman, the chief of the Army Staff and chief of the Air Staff and the chief of the Naval Staff, commandant of marines, director general Coast Guards and Strategic Plans Division, and commanders of the service branches in the Civil Armed Forces and the National Guard.
The United Kingdom's Strategic Command (StratCom), previously known as Joint Forces Command (JFC), manages allocated joint capabilities from the three armed services.
Jamhuri Day is a national holiday in Kenya, celebrated on 12 December each year. Jamhuri is the Swahili word for "republic" and the holiday officially marks the date when Kenya became an independent country on 12 December 1963, six months and eleven days after gaining internal self-rule on 1 June 1963 from the United Kingdom. Kenya later became a republic, with the inauguration of Jomo Kenyatta as president taking place on 12 December 1964, exactly one year after Kenya attained independence in 1963. Kenyatta, having previously been sworn in as prime minister, continued as prime minister of newly independent Kenya, before assuming the position of president one year after Independence Day.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (JCSC), ; is an administrative body of senior high-ranking uniformed military leaders of the unified Pakistan Armed Forces who advises the civilian government of Pakistan, National Security Council, Defence minister, president and prime minister of Pakistan on important military and non-military strategic matters. It is defined by statute, and consists of a chairman, the military chiefs from Army, Navy and the Air Force: all four-star officers appointed by the president, on the advice of the prime minister. The chairman is selected based on seniority and merit from the chiefs of service of the three branches of the Pakistan Armed and Defense Services. Each service chief, outside their Joint Chiefs of Staff obligations, performs their duty directly for the ministry of Defence.
The Chief of the Defence Force (CDF) is the highest-ranking and most senior military officer in the Australian Defence Force (ADF) and is the principal military advisor to the National Security Committee and the Minister for Defence. The current Chief of the Defence Force is Admiral David Johnston, who took office on 10 July 2024.
The Australian Defence Organisation (ADO) is composed of the armed forces of the Commonwealth of Australia, the Australian Defence Force (ADF), and the Australian Public Service government department, the Department of Defence which is composed of a range of civilian support organisations.
The Kenya Army is the land arm of the Kenya Defence Forces.
General Wilson Mbasu Mbadi is a senior military officer in the Uganda People's Defence Forces (UPDF) and the Minister of State for trade, industry and cooperatives. He served as the Chief of Defense Forces, the highest position in Uganda's military, from June 2021 until March 2024, having replaced General David Muhoozi, who was appointed State Minister of Internal Affairs.
Lieutenant General Walter Koipaton Raria, is a Kenyan military officer. Between July 2018 and July 2022, he served as the Commander Kenya Army, a service branch of the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF).
General (retired) Samson Mwathethe, is a Kenyan military officer. Effective April 2015 to May 2020, he was the Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) of the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF), the highest appointment in the Kenyan armed forces.
The Commander, Kenya Army is the chief and highest-ranking officer of the Kenya Army The current commander is Lieutenant general David Kimaiyo Tarus
General Robert Kariuki Kibochi is a Kenyan military officer who served from May 2020 to May 2023 as the Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) of the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF). He was the first non-infantry officer from the Kenya Army to be appointed CDF as a member of the Kenya Army Corps of Signals, the military personnel responsible for conveying of information.
The Kenya Special Forces are units tasked with special operations found within the three branches of the Kenya Defence Forces and are under Special Forces Operations Command. The Army has the largest number of these units under the Army Special Operations Brigade (Kenya) containing the 20th Parachute Battalion (20th Paras), 30th Special Forces Battalion (30 SF) and 40th Ranger Strike Force (40 RSF). The Air Force has a Rapid Deployment Squadron (RDS) tasked with retrieving airmen behind enemy lines and it is the most recent addition to Kenya's specialized military units. The Navy has two units under its Special Operations Squadron which are the Clearance Diving Unit (CDU) and the main Special Boat Unit (SBU) formed with American assistance in the mid 2000s. The Special Operations Training School (SOTS) in Gilgil, Naivasha serves as the premier training establishment for all potential special forces operators. Kenyan special forces have been deployed in Southern Somalia, the Frontier counties of Mandera, Wajir and Garissa on the border with Somalia, Boni Forest near the Somali border and Eastern DRC
Lieutenant General Peter Mbogo Njiru, is a Kenyan military officer, who serves as the Commander, Kenya Army, since July 2022. The Kenya Army is a service branch of the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF). Before his present assignment, General Njiru was the commander of the Kenya Joint Command and Staff College, at the rank of Major General.
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) of Kenya is a cabinet-level office in charge of defense-related matters of Kenya. It oversees the Kenya Defence Forces. It is currently headed by Her Excellency Soipan Tuya.
