Protect NAF assets against threats, Air Chief orders Commanders

Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, has charged Field Commanders to constantly appraise changes and take proactive measures necessary to defend Nigerian Air Force (NAF) assets in their areas of operations.

The Air Chief gave the charge on Tuesday during the NAF Base Defence Seminar organised for Field Commanders at the NAF Headquarters in Abuja.

The theme of the seminar is Enhancing Force Protection of NAF Bases for Effective Force Projection.

Air Marshal Abubakar also charged them to “invoke an understanding of what the Base Defence Concept is all about”, with a view to implementing the resolution of the seminar at their various commands.

Represented by Chief of Policy and Plans (NAF), Air Vice Marshal Emmanuel Anebi, the Air Chief said NAF had moved from the traditional mode of static Base Defence to a new Base Defence concept that is highly mobile in line with the current security challenges in the country.

He said the new Base Defence Concept was developed in 2015 and ratified in 2017 under his leadership.

“The collaboration of the Air Police and Intelligence with the Regiment culminates in an integrated detection and response system making the Base Defence Concept mobile and tiered (external, perimeter and inner defences) in nature to enable it counter threats through offensive action.

“This will help us checkmate possible occurrences such as the 2011 attack on AFCS Kano and the December 2013 attack on NAF Base Maiduguri, which resulted in the loss of lives, platforms and other mission essential assets. There was therefore the need to review past method previously employed in our base defences,” the Air Chief said.

He said the Regiment Specialty, which was primarily saddled with the responsibility of protecting NAF Bases against threats, had undergone upgrading and re-positioning in line with the new Base Defence Concept.

“Accordingly, the organisation of the Regiment Specialty has been upheld through the establishment of new units and formations, strengthening of its manpower as well as kitting of personnel among others.

“More pertinent is the application of the new concepts that drives the Regiment Specialty, which are Mission Capable Training, Train to Deploy, Individual/Personalised Weapon Designation and Issuance of Tactical Kits by Name. Others include the Centralized Deployment of Regiment Personnel for Internal Security Operations and Non Employment of Regiment Personnel as Drivers, Orderlies and Office Assistants.

“To ensure that we have capable human resources to implement the Base Defence concept, we have trained over 3,600 personnel drawn from the Regiment, Intelligence and Air Police specialties in force protection in complex air ground environment with the assistance of the British Military Advisory Training Team from 2015 to date. This training has ensured that we develop Base Defence plans tailored to the diverse human and physical environments where our bases are located,” he said.

He said in line with the new Base Defence Concept the service has also increase the manpower of the Regiment from 1,300 to 4,000, and also established Quick Repose units in the six geological zones of the country.

In his remarks, the Chief of Training and Operations (NAF), Air Vice Marshal (AVM) Isiaka Amao, said with the deployment of NAF platforms to tackle several asymmetry security challenges across the country and with the establishment of ne NAF Bases, there is the need to protect the Bases against any threat.

He said the new Base Defence concept had been “successfully implemented” in front-line Bases in Maiduguri, Yola, Bauchi and Port Harcourt, and the NAF leadership desired to do same in the remaining Air Force Bases across the country.

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