Paddy Kayondo,Secretary for Institutions,Ugandan National Committee for the Study of Juche IdeaMember of Ugandan Research Departmentof Pan African MovementThe Juche idea says that there are three guiding principles which should be maintained in realizing independence in all fields of a nation.They are, firstly, independence in politics, secondly, self-sufficiency in the economy, and thirdly, self-reliance in defence.Allow me to note that the principle of self-reliance in defence, in particular, among others in this discussion.Comrade Kim Jong Il, eternal Chairman of the National Defence Commission of the DPRK said.“Self-reliance in defence is a fundamental principle of an independent sovereign state.”To implement the principle of self-reliance in defence means defending one’s country by one’s own efforts.The revolutionary essence of the principle of self-reliance in defence is that people in each country build powerful national defence capability to defend themselves and solve all problems in the defence building and military activities in conformity with their interests and actual conditions of their country.It is necessary to realize self-reliance in defence in order to build an independent sovereign state.As long as imperialists exist over the world, it cannot be called a completely independent sovereign state if it does not have self-defensive armed forces capable of defending itself from the enemy at home and abroad.Imperialism is a root cause of constant aggression and war and it is the imperialist nature to oppress other countries and nations by force and tyrannize over them.The best way to preserve national independence and peace and win in the revolutionary cause is to counter the imperialist war of aggression with the war of liberation, answer the counterrevolutionary violence of reactionaries with revolutionary violence, and always meet the imperialist moves of aggression and war in full preparedness. To its end, you must implement the principle of self-reliance in defence.Self-reliance in defence is a military guarantee for a nation’s political independence and economic self-sufficiency. Only when one implements the principle of self-reliance in defence, is it possible to repel imperialist aggression and intervention, defend the nation’s political independence and economic self-sufficiency and safeguard the revolutionary achievements and the people’s security.Of course, one may receive aid from others also in defence. But it is impossible to depend on others in defence. One’s own strength is the main. Only when one is strong, foreign aids can also prove effective. In national defence, therefore, one should rely on the efforts of one’s own people and one’s own defence capability before anything else. National defence is an undertaking for the people and of the people. If the entire people unite as one and rise up in the national liberation struggle and in the defence of the country under the leadership of people’s leader and revolutionary party, they will be able to repel all imperialist aggressors and safeguard national independence and revolutionary achievements.Comrade H.E. Kim Jong Un said in the commemorative speech made at the Defence Development Exhibition “Self-defence-2021” opened on 11th of October 2021 in the DPRK that the core of the Workers’ Party of Korea’s defence policy is to defend our country and people by our own efforts, and contain any threat and challenge and reliably and steadfastly safeguard peace by means of steadily-developing, powerful defence capability.Historically, the Korean people suffered trials owing to invasion by foreign forces and had to build a powerful and prosperous nation under the constant threats by hostile forces from one century into the next.He said that in view of this lesson of the history of the Korean nation and the demand and special character of the Korean revolution, building up national defence is an indispensable and vital state affair which the Workers’ Party of Korea, government of the DPRK and the people must not neglect even a moment.The Defence Development Exhibition “Self-defence-2021” drew the attentions of world military experts and institutes of international studies worldwide.Amid bids of hostile forces to isolate and stifle the DPRK, the remarkable military successes achieved by the DPRK have to be highly appreciated.What makes the DPRK become to be not neglectable in terms of defence capability at world-level?It is considerably noted that all brilliant successes achieved by the DPRK are the fruits brought out by tremendous efforts and brainstorms of Korean people under the wise leadership of H.E. Kim Jong Un and those successes cannot be also thought apart from devotion of great leaders H.E. Kim Il Sung and H.E. Kim Jong Il.It is particularly noted that the world history clearly says that if you are really a patriotist, a person among peace-loving people and a person with a full will to protect your loved ones, and also, if people know well about the bitter lesson of world history and current situation of the world there will be nobody to blame you over your principle and activity to maintain and continue to increase the defence capability.If a country does not have self-defensive capability of a proper level, it will inevitably be left at the mercy of external military threat and, worse still, cannot safeguard the existence of itself and its people. It has been a lesson throughout human history.The rapid development of military techniques and hardware is changing the aspect of military operations and the security environment of states in every region in the present world.The military powers over the world prioritize next generation weapons like the state-of-the-art hypersonic weapons and focus on the development of those weapons even if they cost uncountably.The reality demands that the progressive peoples refrain from resting on their laurels, marking time, and exert themselves to possess the capability and means strong enough to control the existing concerns and threats.The effort to possess strong military capability should be a natural, self-defensive and mandatory right and core policy which a sovereign state should not miss either in a peaceful environment or in a state of confrontation.It is because the self-defensive power is the root of the existence of a state and a guarantee of its development.It is not a new concept that there was no a war broken out between powers but there were wars whenever any balance of power between countries does not match.The current international situation is mainly characterized by the fact that it has got more complicated as the structure of the international relations has been reduced to the structure of “neo-Cold War” due to the imperialists’ unilateral and prejudiced bloc-forming style external policy.It is imperative that each country further needs to hold fast to the fundamental principle of self-reliance in defence in dealing with imperialism and all sorts of dominationist high-handed and arbitrary practices as never before.The Juche idea which gives principle of the position and role of the man over the world says that man is the master of his destiny and man has strength to shape his own destiny.Today, imperialists have been in the thick of extending their influences in much more larger scale and the confrontation, contradiction between them become aggravated as days go by.What should be done under unchangeable logic of power pursued by imperialists?There is only best option to make yourself much more and more strong as required to the direction guided by the Juche idea.Therefore, self-reliance in defence is a fundamental principle in building an independent sovereign state and to apply and maintain this principle in defence is so vital and just.I would like to take this opportunity to salute to Comrade H.E. Kim Jong Un, General Secretary of the Workers’ Party of Korea and President of the State Affairs of the DPRK over his brilliant leadership and firm standpoint of anti-imperialism.