The Chief of Army Staff, Lt General Waidi Shaibu says the Nigerian Army is committed to deepening officers operational planning capabilities, enhancing military education and further prepare officers for contemporary and future challenges.
He stated this at the commissioning ceremony of the newly constructed land warfare wargaming centre at the Jaji Military Cantonment in Kaduna State.
Lt General Waidi Shaibu explained that the facility was constructed in view of the increasing complexity of military operations and the need for joint planning adaptive and predictive decision-making, which made it imperative to build a larger and more technologically enabled space that is capable of supporting evolving operational demands.
He emphasized that the facility would not only benefit students of the department of land warfare, but also serve other Army training schools and formations in one and eight divisions, as a hub for operational and tactical planning exercises.
According to the Army Chief, it would also provide an environment where officers can hone their capacity for critical thinking and adversary-focused planning, which is in line with his command philosophy.
Lt General Shaibu underscored the need to invest in high-quality training infrastructure, especially at a time that global security environment has remained fluid, increasingly influenced by technology and defined by highly adaptive threats.
Earlier in his address, Commandant of the Armed Forces Command and Staff College Jaji, Air Vice Marshal Hassan Alhaji noted that it had become pertinent for the College to keep pace with advancements in training, especially in the areas of support facilities, instructional aids and technology, as it strives to meet emerging and future operational imperatives.
He described the construction of the land warfare wargaming centre as not only apt and timely, but a reflection to the college’s shift towards employment of technology in training delivery.
The land warfare wargaming centre was conceptualized and initiated by late Lt General Taoreed Lagbaja and was fully adopted, approved and brought to fruition by the immediate past Chief of Army Staff and current Chief of Defence Staff, General Olufemi Oluyede.
The centre is expected to enable students test hypothesis, evaluate the effectiveness of different resources allocation strategies, evaluate risks and make informed decisions that would ultimately lead to better operational outcomes.
Usman Sani
