NAF Women of War
NAF Women of War
NAF Acquires Military Dogs for Special
Operations
Efforts to further enhance Nigerian Air Force (NAF) special
operations capabilities have received a boost with the graduation
of another batch of 20 Military Working Dogs (MWDs) and Canine
(K-9) handlers, 5 of which have been trained in a range of special
operations skills including rappelling from helicopters as well as
tracking of adversary movements and positions in an area of
operation.
The graduation ceremony, which took place at the NAF Base
Kaduna, would further improve measures for the protection of NAF
assets and facilities as well as critical national infrastructure,
like Airports, especially in times of emergencies.
Speaking at the ceremony, the Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air
Marshal Sadique Abubakar, who was the Guest of Honour, noted that
upon assumption of Office, part of the outcome of a gap analysis
conducted to ascertain the NAF’s requirement for the protection of
its assets revealed the need for a holistic capacity development
among the specialist directorates charged with security, law
enforcement and base defence. He disclosed that the Air Provost
(AP), as one of these specialist directorates, has received and
will continue to receive attention in this regard, with the
development of K-9 capabilies being one of the areas of focus.
The CAS recalled how the NAF had inducted the first batch of 20
MWDs with narcotics and explosive detection capabilities. He noted
that the import of inducting Special Operations Dogs in the second
batch of training, was to provide the AP with the capacity to
conduct specialized policing functions in support of the roles of
the newly established Special Operations Command.
Air Marshal Abubakar went further to highlight some of the
additional steps taken to enhance the capacity of the NAF AP
personnel, including the establishment of a new K-9 Wing in Bauchi,
equipped with modern facilities for K-9 development and
administration, to support the Counter Insurgency (COIN) Operations
in the Northeast. He said a full-fledged AP Training Centre had
also been established at Kerang, Plateau State, to increase the
scope and depth of AP training in the NAF. The CAS noted that
another major feat recorded in the capacity building efforts of the
AP specialty was the resuscitation of the Provost Forensic
Laboratory in 2018, after it had been disused and abandoned for
over 20 years.
In addition, he revealed that capacity had equally been
developed in the area of Crime Scene Investigation (CSI), where 16
AP Personnel each had been trained in Stages 1 and 2 CSI Courses,
as well as Train-the-Trainer and Forensic Awareness Courses.
Moreover, he said another 300 AP personnel had benefited from the
Force Protection in Complex Air Ground Environment (FPCAGE)
training conducted by the British Military Advisory Training Team
(BMATT).
The CAS expressed the expectation that the handlers, along with
their dogs, having undergone intensive advanced K-9 training for 13
weeks (10 weeks of which were conducted overseas and 3 in-country),
must endeavour to add value wherever they are deployed. He
emphasised that the Service intends to increase its K-9 holding
with the addition of 20 more Special Operations Dogs that would
enhance the potential to detect, track and provide early warning of
adversary positions while also exploiting the psychological effects
of dogs on adversaries. “Thus, K-9 development is projected to be a
force multiplier to the operational exploits of the NAF’s aircrew
and ground personnel that would enhance the security of Nigeria and
Nigerians”, he stated. He added that some of the dogs would soon be
deployed alongside NAF Regiment Specialty to conduct training
exercises on some troubled roads like the Kaduna-Abuja and
Kaduna-Birnin Gwari Highways as well as locations in the Southwest
of the Country. Air Marshal Abubakar also expressed the
appreciation and continued loyalty of the Service to the
Commander-in-Chief, President Muhammadu Buhari, for providing the
enabling environment for the NAF to keep discharging its
responsibilities despite other contending imperatives.
Earlier, in his opening remarks, the Chief of Administration
(COA) Headquarters NAF, Air Vice Marshal Kingsley Lar, who was
represented by the NAF Air Provost Marshal (APM), thanked the CAS
for his vision and foresight in establishing the NAF K-9 Unit in
February 2016. He said these had significantly improved security
and law enforcement in NAF bases as well as in various operational
theatres. The COA remarked that the tactical and special operations
training undertaken by the graduands entailed rappelling from
helicopters; tracking and navigation as well as first aid and
searches in built-up areas, amongst many others.
Among the 20 dogs and handlers who graduated, 10 were trained in
explosive detection and 5 in narcotics detection, while 5 dogs were
trained for special operations; the first of its kind in Nigeria.
The ceremony featured practical demonstration of the capabilities
of the Military Working Dogs and their handlers which included
explosive ordinance and narcotics detection, tracking and arrest of
suspects in simulated built-up areas as well as rappelling of a dog
and handler from a helicopter, which was executed by one of the
female graduating dog handlers, Lance Corporal Naomi Danjuma.
Awards were also presented to graduating dogs and handlers who had
distinguished themselves during the course.
IBIKUNLE DARAMOLA
Air Commodore
Director of Public Relations and Information
Nigerian Air Force