During May 1977, a Combined Operations headquarters (or "Comops" as it was referred to) was formed to direct the activities of all Rhodesian Security Forces. Prior to this, each service had its own command structure and active operations were co-ordinated, at a local level, through Joint Operation Commands (or JOCs). The first (and only) Commander Comops was Lieut.-General G. Peter Walls, former head of the Rhodesian Army. Air Marshal 'Mick' J. McLaren was Deputy Commander.[1][page needed]
Following the electoral victory of Robert Mugabe's ZANU party on 4 March 1980 a Joint High Command was established to oversee the integration of the former warring armies. Lieut.-General Peter Walls (former Commander of the Rhodesian Combined Operations) was appointed as Chairman of the Joint High Command. Other members included: Lieut.-General A. C. L. ‘Sandy’ Maclean (former Commander Zimbabwe-Rhodesian Army); Air Vice-Marshal Frank Mussell (former Commander Zimbabwe-Rhodesian Air Force); ‘Lieut.-General’ Lookout Masuku (former Commander Zimbabwe People's Revolutionary Army, ZIPRA); ‘Lieut.-General’ Solomon T. Mujuru, alias Rex Nhongo (former Commander Zimbabwe African National Liberation Army, ZANLA); and Mr Alan Page (Secretary of Defence).[3]
In July 1980 Lieut-General Walls resigned and was exiled from Zimbabwe. Lieut-General ‘Sandy’ Maclean was appointed by then Prime Minister Mugabe as the Commander of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces on 8 August 1980, and promoted to General.[4]
^Lovett, John (1977). Contact: A tribute to those who serve Rhodesia. Galaxie Press. ISBN978-0869250532.
^Abbott, Peter; Botham, Philip (1986). Modern African Wars (1) 1965-80 : Rhodesia. Men at Arms Series. Osprey Publishing. p. 11. ISBN978-0850457285.
^Alao, Abiodun, The metamorphosis of the ‘unorthodox’: the integration and early development of the Zimbabwean National Army, in: Bhebe, N. & Ranger, T. (eds) Soldiers in Zimbabwe’s Liberation War, Volume One, University of Zimbabwe Publications, Harare, 1995.
