........Unveils New National Military Strategy
The Minister of Defence Maj Gen Bashir Salihi Magashi (rtd) has reiterated government's recognition of the important role that technology plays in combating asymmetric threats.
General Magashi stated this at the opening ceremony of the Defence retreat in Asaba, Delta State with the theme; "Shaping the Armed Forces of Nigeria for Current and future Security challenges"
Special Assistant to the Minister of Defence on Media and Publicity, Mohammad Abdulkadri in a statement on Monday said, the Defence Minister identified the huge inroads by the Nigerian Army in cyber and forensic areas, the deployment of the Falcon Eye infrastructure by the Nigerian Navy and the acquisition of unmanned aerial systems by the Nigerian Air Force as some of the proves of government's investments in upgrading the capabilities of the Nigerian Military.
The Defence Minister added that some of the Technological breakthroughs are enhancing situational awareness for troops and better operational security in the country.
While appreciating the Chief of Defence Staff General Leo Irabor for the initiative in putting the Defence retreat together tagged Asaba 2022 charged the participants to take maximum advantage of the platform to identify possible areas that require tinkering to meat the present day security challenges
Going forward, before the Special guest unveiled the new National Military Strategy alongside other dignitaries including the Governor of Delta state Senator Arthur Okowa, he also challenged the retreatants to carefully examine statutory documents and policies that guide the establishment and development of the Armed Forces to ensure that they meet current realities.
In their separate remarks Governor Sen. Ifeanyi Okowa and the Chief of Defence Staff thanked the Special guest for his presence at the retreat despite his tight schedules.
They justified the retreat for its appropriate timing and described it as a right step in the right direction especially now that the philosophy of Jointness and interoperability have become operationalised in dealing with current security challenges.
The end of the opening ceremony attended by some members of the National Assembly, Service Chiefs and retired top Military hierarchies as well as traditional rulers dovetailed into technical sessions touching on National defence policy, joint defence Doctrine and Armed Forces Act, Operational strategic harmonisation among other issues.
