COAS: Army Faces Junior Leadership Challenge in War against Insurgency

COAS: Army Faces Junior Leadership Challenge in War against Insurgency

By Laleye Dipo In Minna

The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai, has disclosed that the challenges the Army is facing in the war against insurgency is the junior leadership.

“The bottom-up approach to training adopted in this regard is commendable as one of the main challenges in our engagement with adversaries in counter terrorist and counter insurgency operations is with the junior leadership,” he said.

Buratai made this known in Minna, Niger State on Monday in a message he sent to the opening of the ‘Nigerian Army Doctrine and Combat Development Leadership Workshop for Junior Commanders’ holding at the headquarters of the Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC).

Buratai, who was represented by Maj. Gen. Kasimu Abdukkarim, the Chief of the Directorate of Combat Development, said despite the challenges, “we are ever determined to protect the territorial integrity of this country and get rid of the remnants of unrepentant terrorist group”.

He expressed profound gratitude to President Muhammadu Buhari “who has always provided the resources to the Nigerian Army for its administration, operations and training including this workshop”.

The COAS described as heartwarming the fact the workshop would culminate in a manual war gaming which is another innovative effort of the Training and Doctrine Command of the Nigerian Army.

He charged the participants to take active part in the programme so as to benefit maximally from the workshop, stressing that: “The knowledge and professional competence gained from this workshop would be very helpful to you in the course of your career in the military.”

Buratai however told the organisers of the workshop to extend it to more junior commanders in the commands training cycle.

The Commander, Training and Doctrine Command, Maj. Gen. Adeyemo Salihu, said the workshop was organised because of the prevailing security challenges faced “by our army”.

Represented by the Chief of Research Development, Test and Evaluation, Maj. Gen. Yakubu Peni Auta, Salihu said the workshop would test the skills and understanding of officers on “the integrated employment of all arms of a land component force in a counter terrorist and counter insurgency setting”.

The workshop will last five days.

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