Peter Vilho

Vilho joined SWAPO in exile 1977 as a 15 year old teenager. In 1981 he then joined the People's Liberation Army of Namibia. After joining PLAN in 1981 for basic training he specilised as a combat engineer in 1982, by 1983 Vilho was an Engineering Instructor at the Tobias Hainyeko Training Centre, Lubango, Angola. In 1984 he was appointed as an Engineer Company Commander and Anti-tank Battery Commander at the Northern Front and Striking Unit.[2]

Vilho's career in the Namibian Defence Force started in 1990 after Namibia's independence when he was inducted with the rank of Captain and appointed as paymaster for the 125 Battalion in the Namibian Army. In 1993, he was promoted to the rank of Major and appointed as the Chief paymaster for the Army Headquarters. Later in the year he was appointed Staff Officer grade2 (SO2) Operations and Training Army Headquarters with the same rank. Between the following year and 1998 he attended the Admiral Wandenkolk Instruction Centre' (CIAW) in Rio de Janeiro.[3] Upon graduating he was appointed as the Chief of Staff NDF Maritime Wing in 1998. In 2001 he was appointed as the Deputy Commander NDF Maritime Wing with rank of Commander and in the following year following the death of Captain (Navy) Phestus Sakaria the Commander NDF Maritime Wing Vilho was appointed as his successor with the rank of Naval Captain. The rank of Commodore was bestowed on him in 2004 at the commissioning of the Maritime Wing as a fully fledged Navy. In 2007 he ascended to the rank of Rear Admiral.[4]

Vilho studied for an Advanced Course and Resource Management Course at Fort Benning from 1990 to 1992 a Finance Officer, and in 1994 was Junior Staff and Command Course, Namibia. He trained as a Naval Officers Formation Course, in Brazil between 1995 and 1998 followed by an Advanced Course on Politics and Strategy at the National War College, Brazil. He holds a Master of Business Administration from Maastricht School of Management Netherlands. He holds various Military and Naval Decorations honors.

He retired from active military service in September 2017 and was appointed as Executive Director of the Ministry of Defence. He was on 21st March 2020 appointed as a non voting member of parliament by President Hage Geingob and as Minister of Defence succeeding Penda ya Ndakolo.