NAF Training 1,400+ Personnel, Purchasing New Platforms For Future Air Combat, Says Air Chief

As it acquires new platforms for air warfare, the Nigerian Air Force (NAF), according to Air Marshal Hassan Abubakar, is in the process of training 1,467 men both domestically and overseas.

He claims that the “significant gains” being achieved by the NAF in domestic production of necessary air capabilities through research and development operations are done so in order to meet both the needs for air combat now and in the future.

This was said by AM Abubakar on Thursday when he spoke to students of Senior Course 46 of the Armed Forces Command and Staff College, Jaji in Kaduna State, on “The Future of Air Warfare in the Nigerian Air Force – My Command Philosophy.”

The Armed Forces Command and Staff College, Jaji in Kaduna State is now hosting an 11-month operation leadership school for 258 middle-level military officers from the Nigerian Army, Navy, and Air Force as well as officers from some allies.

This is purportedly done to better prepare them for their duties as middle-level commanders, especially in light of the Chief of Air Staff’s approach to command.

According to AM Abubakar, the NAF’s future air warfare would focus on intelligence collection, observation, quick mobility, precision assault, and use of unarmed aircraft due to the complexity of the nation’s current and upcoming security threats.

The air chief continued, “This is due to the aftereffects of terrorism, separatism, technological proliferation, and climate change.”

He also emphasised how crucial it is for the services to cooperate with one another and form strategic partnerships with other nations in order to protect the security of the nation.

AM Abubakar outlined the primary enablers of his philosophy and how they will affect the operations of the service, relating the significance of his command philosophy to the involvement of the NAF in future battle against banditry and other technologically driven security challenges.

The Commandant of the Armed Forces College, AVM Hassan Alhaji, believes the senior lecture is important for the participants’ career advancement.

The air chief promised that if the security forces would take the issue of jointness seriously and form strategic partnerships with other nations, which are essential in attaining the goals of securing the country’s security, the country would overcome its security challenges.