Nigerian Army Updating Training Doctrine to Better Tackle Insecurity

ADF STAFF

As commander of the Nigerian Army’s Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC), Maj. Gen. Kevin Aligbe believes that Soldiers should constantly be working to get better.

That is why the army continuously reviews its education modules, which was the primary goal of its annual five-day conference at TRADOC headquarters in Minna, Niger State, from January 8 to 12.

“Without training, you cannot fight,” he said during the conference. “The doctrine gives us the latitude and spirit about how we should fight. When you train properly based on the doctrine, which is also something that comes from experience from past operations, it means that you can deliver more in operations.”

One hundred and twenty commandants and field commanders from Nigeria’s 18 training schools participated in the conference to update the curriculum based on their experiences from past battles.

TRADOC is a military think tank within the army, charged with research-based doctrinal training, combat development and the supervision of training centers around the country.

TRADOC Chief of Training Maj. Gen. Sani Gambo Mohammed said the country’s diverse security challenges informed the theme of the conference: “Enhancing Operational Effectiveness in a Joint Environment Through Tailor-Made Training.”

“The army is involved in a plethora of activities spanning a wide range of military operations, from conventional military engagements, such as military operations other than war, to peace-support operations, counterinsurgency, anti-terrorism and anti-banditry operations,” he said in an address to participants during the conference.

Nigeria has fought violent extremist organizations — Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province — that have killed tens of thousands since the insurgency began in July 2009.

Rampant banditry and kidnapping also have plagued the country in recent years, as it ranked 144 out of 163 countries in the 2023 Global Peace Index produced by the Institute for Economics and Peace. Nigeria has 3.2 million internally displaced people, according to government data in early 2023.

Aligbe said the conference set an agenda for all of the Nigerian Army divisional training schools. He urged participants to draw inspiration for all the courses and training activities that would be conducted in 2024 in order to completely address the security challenges facing the country.

Aligbe said the conference will evaluate all of Nigeria’s military training schools to set and achieve measurable milestones and objectives.

He said the army has identified gaps in previous operations, and all of the training to be conducted in 2024 will focus on filling those gaps to achieve operational effectiveness.

“We are not talking about operational efficiency yet; we are just concerned about operational effectiveness,” Aligbe told a gathering of reporters on January 10. “We want to be able to ensure that adversaries do not have the capacity to continue to affect law-abiding citizens the way they have been doing.

“The key to effectiveness within a joint or multinational environment is to have well-trained and mission-capable troops.”