By Emmanuel Obisue
Nigeria’s Chief of the Air Staff, CAS, Air Marshal Oladayo Amao, has commissioned the Nigerian Air Force, NAF Air Warfare Centre and inaugurated its first course on basic air power for young officers.
A statement made available on Tuesday by Air Commodore Edward Gabkwet, NAF’s Director of Public Relations and Information, informed that the CAS stated that lessons learnt from recent and ongoing operations across the country, has further confirmed the dynamism of air power employment as critical to operational successes, as well as meeting the safety and security aspirations of all Nigerians.
Air Marshal Amao also noted that air power has become a key determinant of operational effectiveness, as well as a force multiplier in all ongoing operations in the country.
The CAS went on to state that the reactivation of the Air Warfare Centre perfectly aligns with his Vision for the Nigerian Air Force, tailored towards, “enhancing and sustaining critical air power capabilities required for joint force employment in pursuit of national security imperatives”, just as it tallies with two key drivers of his Vision, which “focuses on doctrinal development and application of air power in joint military operations” as well as “pursuit of purposeful training and human capacity development”.
On the mandate of the Centre, Air Marshal Amao stated that the Centre must seek to support the airman across the spectrum of air warfare requirements; ranging from training and operational readiness, to doctrinal and tactics development. Such support, he noted, will enhance effectiveness by giving impetus to Service-wide efforts that will translate existing materiel and human capacity into actual capabilities to fulfil air power tasks demanded by national defence and security imperatives.
The CAS also charged the pioneer Commandant of the Centre, Air Vice Marshal Micheal Onyebashi and staff to prime the new institution for the highest standards and maximum impact, while ensuring that it evolves new and dynamic approaches for NAF employment of air power.
This he said, will play a significant role in efforts to apply the military instrument of power to address the myriad of security challenges facing the nation.
The establishment of an Air Warfare Centre for the Nigerian Air Force was first conceived in 2013 to develop operational and tactical doctrines, as well as provide integrated mission support training for enhanced joint force employment.
The Air Warfare Centre has a mandate to offer training which impacts positively on the effectiveness of Nigerian Air Force operations in theatres across the country. Based on this mandate, the Centre’s curriculum is intended to include doctrine development and operational-level training, as well as operational readiness assessment across all combat units.
The event was well attended by Branch Chiefs and senior officers from the three Services and members of the Air Power Consult.
