The British formulated the force integration plan and began training the NDF, which consists of five battalions and a small headquarters element.

Martin Shalli and Charles 'Ho Chi Minh' Namoloh were involved in the negotiations that allowed the Kenyan infantry battalion to remain for that period.

The main roles of the Namibian Defence Force are to ensure the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country by guarding against external aggression, both conventional and unconventional; prevent violation of Namibia's territorial integrity; and provide assistance to civil authorities in guarding and protecting government buildings and key installations as provided in the Defence Act.

Major General A W Dennis, CB, OBE (rtd), British Army, previously Director of Military Assistance Overseas, made the following comments on the initial phase in Namibia at a conference in Pretoria, South Africa on 6 August 1992:[9] You will no doubt recall that the Angola accords were signed in Luanda on 22 December 1988.

In November 1989 SWAPO won 57% of the votes in the Namibian General Election and immediately requested the help of a British Military Advisory and Training Team following independence on 21 March 1990.

The team, initially 55 strong, was duly deployed on 26 March 1990 and the first leaders cadre, for the 1st and 2nd Battalions, was run from 17 April to 2 June.

In addition the Ministry of Defence, a mixture of civilian and military personnel, was operating as a department of state.

Most people would probably agree that at some 7 500 strong the Army is unnecessarily large, but sensible plans will need to be made for the employment of any surplus soldiers before they are discharged.

Integration has not been easy to achieve, at least in part, because of the need to use several interpreters to cope with the wide variety of languages involved.

At the higher levels, integration has been more patchy, at least in part because of the departure of most white South African and SWATF officers.

[13] Shalli eventually retired in January 2011; the post of Chief of the NDF was given to Lieutenant General Epaphras Denga Ndaitwah.

Duties of the NDF Sergeant Major include making sure that discipline, drills, dressing code, performance standards, and morale of the non-commissioned officers are maintained.

Development of the Maritime Warfare Branch has been slow, and the force was only formally established in 2004, 14 years after independence.

[18] Situated at the Oshivelo Army base, the school offers units and battle groups to test their combat fighting skills in conventional and non-conventional warfare.

[19] The school also offers courses such as: Established in 2011 the technical centre impart students with knowledge repair and maintain army systems and installations.

The School of Military Science, run in conjunction with the University of Namibia, offers officers in the Defence force qualifications ranging from Bachelor of Science Honors degrees in the field of nautical, Army and Aeronautical, to a post-graduate diploma in Security and Strategic studies, and a Master of Arts in Security and Strategic Studies (MA-SSS).