CAS: No Single Service Can Secure Nigeria Alone, Calls for Integrated Air Power and Intelligence Synergy

The Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal SK Aneke, has declared that no single military service can secure Nigeria alone, stressing that defeating the country’s increasingly sophisticated security threats requires intelligence-led operations, integrated air power and seamless inter-agency collaboration.

Air Marshal Aneke made the assertion while delivering a lecture titled, “Air Power and National Security: The Nigerian Air Force in Perspective,” to participants of National Defence College Course 34 at the National Defence College (NDC), Abuja, on Friday.

The Director of Public Relations and Information, Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame, disclosed this in a statement, noting that the audience comprised senior officers of the Nigerian Army, Nigerian Navy, Nigerian Air Force and Nigeria Police Force, alongside participants from various Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), as well as 20 international participants from allied countries.

Addressing the participants, the CAS said Nigeria’s security landscape has evolved beyond conventional warfare, with terrorists, bandits, separatist groups, transnational organised criminal networks and other non-state actors exploiting emerging technologies, difficult terrain and civilian populations to evade detection and threaten national security.

He stressed that responding effectively to such dynamic threats requires deeply integrated inter-agency structures capable of fusing intelligence from air, land, maritime, cyber and human domains into a unified operational picture for timely and decisive action.

According to him, air power has become a strategic enabler of national security by providing the speed, reach, precision and flexibility needed for intelligence gathering, surveillance and reconnaissance, rapid force deployment, border and maritime security, protection of critical national infrastructure and precision operations that minimise civilian harm.

Emphasising the importance of joint operations, Air Marshal Aneke declared, “No single Service can secure the nation alone,” adding that “Decisive air power delivers its greatest effect in synergy with surface forces.”

He explained that sustained operational success depends on intelligence sharing, joint planning and synchronised execution across all operational domains.

The CAS also highlighted emerging threats such as cyber attacks, the proliferation of unmanned aerial systems, information warfare, piracy, arms trafficking and other transnational crimes, warning that hostile actors increasingly exploit cyberspace and social media to spread disinformation, deepen social divisions and erode public confidence in state institutions.

Reflecting on the Nigerian Air Force’s evolution over the past six decades, Air Marshal Aneke said its operational experiences in defending Nigeria’s sovereignty, supporting regional peace operations and tackling internal security challenges have reinforced the need for indigenous capacity development, innovation, logistics resilience and continuous force modernisation.

He reaffirmed the Nigerian Air Force’s commitment to strengthening its operational capabilities through indigenous innovation, advanced intelligence systems, emerging technologies and strategic partnerships to sustain decisive air power in support of national security.

The Air Chief concluded that national security extends beyond protecting territorial integrity to safeguarding democratic institutions, critical infrastructure, economic prosperity and the well-being of all Nigerians. He urged participants of the National Defence College to champion jointness, innovation and inter-agency cooperation as essential pillars for addressing Nigeria’s evolving security challenges.