21 Motorised Infantry Brigade (Namibia)

21 Motorised Infantry Brigade[2] (pronounced as Two One Motorised Infantry Brigade) is a brigade of the Namibian Army based at Suiderhof, Windhoek. The prefix "21" is taken from 21 March 1990, Namibia's independence day. The brigade is responsible for the defence of the central areas of Namibia. Its subordinate units are situated in the Khomas. Apart from its Motorised battalions it also consists of a Mechanized Infantry Battalion. It also provides a ceremonial guard battalion for the Head of State.

21 Motorised Infantry Brigade
Emblem of 21 Mot Inf Bde.
Country Namibia
Branch Namibian Army
TypeMotorised Infantry
SizeBrigade
Part ofNamibian Army
Garrison/HQSuiderhof,[1] Windhoek
Colors    Blue, Yellow, Green
Commanders
General Officer CommandingBrigadier General Martin Shikomba
Notable
commanders		Victor Simunja

Equipment

The Brigade uses the following equipment:

Units

The standard Namibian Infantry Brigade consists of a brigade Headquarters, a transport company, logistics company and a medical company supporting three Infantry battalions an artillery regiment and an air defence regiment. It also has a ceremonial guard battalion attached to it.[3]

The following units are based at the brigade headquarters in Windhoek:

  • 21 Ceremonial Guard Battalion[4][3]
  • 211 Battalion[1]
  • 212 Battalion[1]
  • 213 Mechanized Infantry Battalion[1]
  • 21 Artillery Regiment[1] (Otjiwarongo)

21 Ceremonial Guard Battalion

21 Ceremonial Guard Battalion is a guard of honour unit of the NDF. It was also responsible for protecting the President of Namibia till President Hifikepunye Pohamba stopped the practice. It has 500 members and is based in the capital where it performs public duties.[5][6] It uses Russian/German foot drill when marching, in part due to the country returning to the traditional goose step.[7] International leaders that have been honored by the battalion include Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, Kenya President Uhuru Kenyatta and the Chair of the African Union Commission Moussa Faki.[8] Deputy Defence Minister Victor Simunja served as captain of the unit in 1990.[9]

Leadership
21 Motorised Infantry Brigade
From General Officer Commanding To
Unknown date Brigadier General Philipus Shikuma Kamati[10] 19 July 2011
19 July 2011 Brigadier General Erastus Kashopola 25 July 2019
25 July 2019 Brigadier General Martin Nangolo Shikomba[11] Incumbent

References
  1. "21 Brigade champions crowned - Sports - Namibian Sun". 18 November 2019.
  2. "Russia's 200th Motorized Infantry Brigade in the Donbass: The Hero of Russia". bellingcat. 21 June 2016.
  3. http://wwwisis.unam.na/theses/shipena2011.pdf
  4. Marketing, Intouch Interactive (18 November 2019). "21 Brigade champions crowned - Sports - Namibian Sun". www.namibiansun.com. Retrieved 24 July 2021.
  5. Colletta, Nat J.; Kostner, Markus; Wiederhofer, Ingo (1996). Case Studies in War-to-peace Transition: The Demobilization and Reintegration of Ex-combatants in Ethiopia, Namibia, and Uganda. ISBN 9780821336748.
  6. "Promoting national reconciliation and regional integration: The Namibian Defence Force from 1990–2005" (PDF).
  7. NDF parade. Namibian Broadcasting Corporation. 10 March 2016.
  8. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 6 February 2020. Retrieved 6 February 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  9. "Simunja Victor". Namibian Parliament. Retrieved 18 July 2023.
  10. Ministry of Defence, M (September 2011). "Inauguration of 21 Inf Bde Commander". NDF Journal. 41: 4.
  11. "21 BDE Change of Command - GRN Portal". Mod.gov.na. 25 July 2019. Retrieved 2 September 2022.
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