While it may be true that the death of Abubakar Shekau allowed the larger and better organized ISWAP terrorist group, to solicit the loyalty of Shekau’s remaining terrorists and forge a unified effort to create a caliphate. Its a little too late for ISWAP. The military
..is getting new deliveries, its better armed, better trained, and let's be honest, its the most combat experienced in Africa. The Nigerian military has had a decade of warfare under its belt. From maritime piracy to insurgency. It knows what works and what doesn't.
And..its not just the army and airforce, though they get the spotlight. Even the Nigerian Navy has had a decade to master littoral operations, tactics, rescue operations and freedom of navigation operations. It is by far the best trained and combat experienced in SSA
..and since 80% of Nigeria's oil earnings are derived from Offahore oil platforms no expense has been spared in helping the navy protect Nigeria's EEZ and the entire Gulf of Guinea, fielding some of the most sophisticated platforms in the world.
The Cessna Citation CJ3 operated by the Nigerian Navy 107th Air Maritime Group is among the most sophisticated maritme surveillance aircraft in the world. The 107th AMG also operates the ATR-42 MPA. The CJ3 is built by Israels Bird Aerosystems. Ever heard of the Jericho MDS?
This is the company that develops advanced airborne missile protection systems. Of course we have the latest addition to Nigeria's Maritime Domain Awareness Security Architecture, the FALCON EYE.
Back on shore the army's is teaming up with CSTP in building capability in rocket propulsion for guided missiles. The second shipment of VT4 Tanks and long range artillery is on its way. The NAF will soon take delivery of eight armed drones from China (Wing Loong II, CH-4, CH-3B
On rail infrastructure. Lets leave aside the fact that Nigeria has built the largest and most sophisticated light rail network in Africa. Instead lets focus on the expansion of its narrow and standarx guage systems
Nigeria is expanding its 3,500 km long narrow gauge rail networks to standard guage systems. It now moves 40% of freight. In wars logistics is king. The U.S is the greatest military power today because it has the greatest logistics assets in human history.
You can have as many men as you want, if you do not have the logistical capability to bring this force to bear on the enemy you are nothing but a self defence force..ala China and Russia.
We just had another completed 287km line.
from Abuja to Kaduna. A standard guage line from the north of Lagos to Kano is in the works. We are looking at a distance of 1,316 kilometres. Ironically this expansion was prompted by Chinas experience in delivering critical rail equipments across Nigeria. It was hell
The rails from China was brought to Nigeria by ship and transported between Lagos and papalanto by a fleet of 22 trucks, making over 1,000 trips. Just a 150 km route, but over portholed and crowded roads. It took round trips of up to 6 day. By rail it would have taken 2 hours.
The vital rail artery Nigeria is building is of great civil, economic and military benefits.
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France is closing 2023 with a diminished presence in the restive Sahel region and Al-Qaeda is livid with rage against the putchist in Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso, going as far as calling them trecherous.
The leader of Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Magreb recently released a 22 minutes tape where he branded the new military rulers of Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali "treacherous"and called on the citizens of these countries to turn on their leaders.
Why is AQIM upset about the French exit
from the Sahel and lashing out at the junters? It's bad for business.
The supply of money and weapons has come under threat. They've been raking in millions thanks to the geopolitical aspirations of a former colonial power determined to maintain a strategic foothold in Africa.
Nigeria gave France 48 hours to close down its Embassy in Lagos and to pack out of the country in retaliation against France exploding three nuclear devices in the Sahara despite vehement protests by Nigeria and other newly independent
African countries. Nigeria also banned French ships and aeroplanes from calling at her ports. The French Embassy in Lagos remained shut until October 1965. This unprecedented demonstration of power and resolve by an African country was a source of worry for France.
The French were worried that the size and potential strength of Nigeria might lead to a re-orientation of French West African countries away from France and towards Nigeria. Paris was preoccupied with the re-establishment and preservation of French imperial power which had been
For the NAF to transform it's self from a tactical, defensive force within Nigeria to one capable of strategic missions beyond territorial borders we need to up our numbers game.
The NAF already has the quality based on current and projected platforms.
A decade+ long insurgency, that necessitated on-going reforms changed the NAF's equipment priorities, from modernizing high tech hardware to platforms optimized for COIN and network-centric warfare.
The air force has progressed considerably towards building
and fielding a formidable force, and has assumed responsibilities that accompany the projection of national power in the sub region.
Only problem is the limited number of air superiority fighters. The smallest number of fighters in decades.
Still feeling under the weather 🤕. It gets worse as evening approaches.
However, after going through the comment section I've decided it's time to make the case for an ECOWAS intervention in Niger before analysing the capabilities of the potential belligerent of this crises.
ECOWAS weak response to recent coup 'd'etats paved the way for what is now a belt of dictatorships that stretches all the way from Guinea, Burkina Faso, Mali and now Niger. They plotters gained the perception that ECOWAS is weak and could be challenged.
Failure of the regional bloc to respond militarily gave them the perception that they can push ECOWAS further without ramifications.
The latest coup in Niger has fundamentally changed the region. A new cold war between democratic states and military junta's...
In 1983 Maj. General Muhammadu Buhari, GOC of the 3rd Division in Jos flushed out Chadian forces that invaded Nigerian communities in dramatic fashion. 40 years later he presides over what is arguably the biggest military build-up in Nigeria's history.
The President realised the nation was in need of an overhaul of the military. Nigeria had been humiliated in the early stages of the insurgency and the terrorists seemed secure in their unrelenting mission of conquest. Boko Haram captured and occupied 22 LGA's in the northeast.
The Nigerian military was plagued by low morale, low pay, outdated equipment, and zero maintenance on what did exist. Soldiers were tired. It just wasn't worth it to them. There were instances of soldiers refusing to fight. Some fleeing to Cameroon on two occasions.
NAF A-29 with its panoply of GBU Paveway II laser guided bombs, 70mm rockets with Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS) and 589 kilogram bombs. The cutting edge of American precision guided munitions and the NAF is the only in sub-sahara Africa to employ them.
The GBU paveway II integrates the most advanced guidance system that basically converts "dumb" Gravity bombs into precision guided munitions. A semi-active laser seeker and pneumatically controlled canards guide the weapon to its targets with pin point accuracy.
Enter the hydra rockets.
In their basic configurations these are basic 70mm unguided rockets. Not different from unguided rockets used by the L-39ZA or Alpha jets.
However the APKWS they came with transforms these "dumb" rockets into laser-guided weapons.