A fresh class of 151 Regiment members—including 10 officers and 141 airmen and airwomen—recently graduated from the Critical Asset Protection Squad Course (CAPSC) 4/2023 at the Regiment Training Centre (RTC) of the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) Base Kaduna. On June 9, 2023, the graduation ceremony took held.
Air Marshal Oladayo Amao, the Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), stressed the value of professionalism and discipline to the graduates at the ceremony. In order to improve their capacities for the benefit of the NAF and the entire country, he urged them to put the knowledge and skills they had learned throughout the course to use. The CAS emphasized the NAF’s commitment to adopting new procedures in response to the changing security environment, in line with the CAS vision of enhancing critical airpower capabilities for national security goals. The CAS was represented by the Chief of Training and Operations, Air Vice Marshal (AVM) Aliyu Bello.
The fourth batch of CAPSC were meticulously trained by the Air Officer Commanding, Ground Training Command (AOC-GTC), Commandant, staff, and instructors of RTC, according to Air Marshal Amao. He recognized the RTC’s vital role in developing the skills, knowledge, and attitudes needed for effective base defense and force protection responsibilities in the graduating students. He pointed out that while the Israeli Four Troop Security Company had provided support for earlier courses, the RTC had completed this most recent session on its own.
In response, the AOC-GTC, AVM Shayo Olatunde, thanked the CAS for fostering a climate that allowed the Centre to operate successfully through policy direction, resource allocation, and other support. He emphasized how the GTC’s training facilities are now able to educate students from other countries, proving the CAS’s dedication to effective training and capacity building. AVM Olatunde described a number of changes made by the Command, such as curriculum revisions, facility improvements, and teacher advancements, with the goal of making all NAF institutions more appealing on a regional and international scale.
The ten-week CAPSC course was divided into two weeks of medical and physical testing and eight weeks of demanding physical training. The emphasis of the training was to provide the participants with the tactics, techniques, and procedures needed to function successfully in the context of irregular warfare, which is continuously changing. The operational phase, the range/shooting phase, and the consolidation/exercise phase were all included. These stages aimed to equip the trainees with the knowledge and abilities needed to protect NAF bases and other important national assets, like airports.
An exercise to simulate base defense procedures was held as part of the graduation ceremony. The scenario involved an enemy team attacking a VIP convoy, to which the force protection team launched a counterattack in order to repel and neutralize the danger.
The NAF’s dedication to capacity building and safeguarding the security of important national assets is demonstrated by the graduation of the most recent class of force protection squad personnel. The qualified individuals will be essential in protecting NAF bases and other critical installations, enhancing the country’s overall security and stability.
