The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has been praised for its important contributions to the ongoing counterinsurgency and counterterrorism operations in the nation. This is said by the Honorable Minister of Defense (HMOD), Major General Bashir Magashi (rtd). He said this at the Air War Course 8/2022 graduates’ graduation ceremony at the Air War College in Makurdi.
He praised the NAF’s efforts to improve its operational performance by consistently realigning itself with a strong emphasis on human capital development. The HMOD also stated that air power, as a decisive and essential element of the physical components of battle force, has continued to be a potent tool in the preservation of the Nation’s territorial integrity. “In addition to the Nigerian Air Force’s efforts to improve internal security in the nation, the Service has over the years attracted tremendous goodwill and credibility to the nation through the provision of airlift and humanitarian support for the African Union, the United Nations, and friendly African nations,” he said.
This information was revealed in a statement issued by Air Commodore Edward Gabkwet, the Nigerian Air Force’s Director of Public Relations and Information in Abuja.
The Air War College’s contribution to the development of human capacity in the Armed Forces of Nigeria (AFN) is best seen through the lens of recent military successes in various theatres of operations across the nation, according to the spokesperson for the Ai force.
While asymmetric threats from non-state armed actors appear to be decreasing in the nation, he claimed that these dangers are increasing globally, producing a substantially more complicated strategic environment at the international, regional, and national levels.
The dynamic nature of the challenges he mentioned highlights the necessity for creative and aggressive approaches to combating them. “There is no question that the Air Force War College has swiftly developed over time and is now a recognized citadel of learning for officers moving from the tactical level to operational level staff and commanders. To successfully contain the numerous new security issues that Nigeria is currently facing, such as terrorism, insurgencies, and kidnapping, the effectiveness of this shift is essential.
The HMOD applauded the Federal Government’s creative actions over the past few years in reviving the AFN in order to fully restore Nigeria’s territorial integrity. He praised the NAF for emphasizing critical thinking, scenario planning, and analysis, along with other practical frameworks for military decision-making processes, in the Air Force War College curriculum.
The likelihood that operational plans would succeed would be increased as a result, he said, and the NAF will cultivate a culture of proactive planning and administration of operations, particularly in a cooperative environment to maintain national security. The HMOD congratulated the graduates on finishing the nine months of training successfully and reaffirmed the Administration’s ongoing support for the AFN and all security services. In order to contribute new ideas to the Nation’s security system, he ordered the graduates to use the abilities, knowledge, and attitude they had gained to propose innovative solutions to the many security issues the nation was currently facing.
The College’s Commandant, Air Vice Marshal Sayo Olatunde, mentioned earlier in his remarks that this was the first time since the College’s founding in 2016 that civilian and allied participants would take the Air War Course.
He added that the curriculum had undergone a thorough revision before the course began in order to make it more sensitive to issues relating to national security. According to the Commandant, a significant priority was given to tutorials, workshops, seminars, and hands-on activities in the instructional and delivery plan. He credited the College’s achievement to the CAS, Air Marshal Oladayo Amao, for his unrelenting dedication.
The Air War College graduated a Cameroonian allied participant and a National Defence College staff member for the first time. They were among the 17 students that received diplomas at the ceremony.
