At the Table Hill, Nigerian Army Base Camp, Kachia, Kaduna State, the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) has completed the battle inoculation and firepower demonstration phase of Exercise CAMP HIGHLAND for cadets of the Direct Short Service Course (DSSC) 26 (Army) and 30 (Air Force). This marks the conclusion of two weeks of demanding and complex military manoeuvres that mark the cadets’ final stages of training in the Academy.
The exercise is a final field training exercise before cadets graduate from the NDA and is called CAMP HIGHLAND. Its objectives include evaluating the cadets’ leadership qualities, testing their tactical expertise, stamina, and physical fitness for combat, as well as exposing them to actual battle scenarios involving live ammunition, high-calibre explosives, and different military equipment for the exercising cadets.
Speaking at the event, the Special Guest of Honor (SGoH), Air-Vice-Marshal (AVM) Paul Jemitola, the Air Secretary of the Nigerian Air Force (NAF), said that the cadets should consider themselves fortunate to be among the first recipients of the reviewed training packages as evidenced by their performance during the battle inoculation.
AVM Jemitola said that the challenging exercise had given the cadets a sense of an actual war, complete with gunfire and earth shaking. The SGoH stated that it was impossible to overstate how important this experience would be for the cadets who would soon graduate and have to deal with the reality of Nigeria’s security situation.
The cadets’ performance throughout the exercise demonstrated their command of tactics, techniques, and procedures, as well as their level of physical condition, attentiveness, and stamina, according to AVM Jemitola, who expressed trust in them.
The SGoH contends that junior officers who are physically and mentally healthy make good team players, ensuring the AFN’s continuous operational readiness. Therefore, he exhorted the cadets to keep engaging in activities that would help them build and preserve the strength and flexibility needed to handle military demands.
AVM Jemitola lauded the NDA’s rigorous training program, saying it had given cadets the knowledge and attitude they needed to contribute to their various Services. Therefore, he urged Major General Ibrahim Yusuf, Commandant NDA, to uphold the norm.
The Commandant NDA, Maj. -Gen. Yusuf, welcomed everyone to the event earlier in his introductory remarks and mentioned that the cadets of DSSC 26 (Army) had been trained for 5 months while those of DSSC 30 (Air Force) had been trained for 8 months. The cadets, according to the Commandant, include specialists whose skills would be needed by the AFN. Doctors, nurses, engineers, and other professions are among them.
Maj.-Gen. Yusuf went on to say that the field exercise the cadets underwent was the consequence of the NDA’s curriculum being revised at the request of the Defense Headquarters (DHQ) so that they could receive training comparable to that of the combatant courses offered at the Academy.
Numerous dignitaries, including the Commander of the Armoured Corps, the Director General of the Defence Industries Corporation (DG DIC), senior commanders from various units and commands, Principal Staff Officers from the Academy, and others, attended the event.
