The Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Hassan Abubakar, has stated that as a Service subservient to the political class, the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) state of readiness and preparedness remain paramount and must never be in doubt.
This, according to him, was in line with NAF’s constitutional responsibility to be ready to perform tasks that may be assigned to it by Nigeria’s political leaders.
A statement by NAF spokesperson Air Commodore Edward Gabkwet, disclosed that Air Marshal Abubakar stated this Tuesday at his maiden meeting with Branch Chiefs, Air Officers Commanding and NAF operational commanders at NAF Headquarters Abuja.
He however warned that even as the Service remains in the state of readiness, personnel must continue to remain apolitical, patriotic and conduct themselves in the most professional and disciplined manner.
The CAS described the contemporary operating environment within the shores of Nigeria and across the West African sub-Region as diffuse and complex, with consequences on the political climate of the entire region.
Speaking further, Air Marshal Abubakar commended NAF operational commanders for their commitment in tackling the current security challenges facing the nation.
According to him, “I am particularly glad about the recent heightened level of air operations across all our joint operations theatres which has seen us record tremendous outcomes.”
He however observed that while so much has been achieved, a lot still needed to be done to ensure the NAF fully attained its set objectives. He then implored the commanders to ensure they utilize the opportunity of the meeting to interact frankly and objectively while proffering solutions and strategies that will translate to actionable consequences on the ground.
Earlier, the CAS had unveiled his command philosophy which he said would enable NAF personnel having a clear understanding of his focus on the future direction of the Service.
In framing his philosophy, Air Marshal Abubakar stated that he took cognizance of the current state of NAF fleet which has been enhanced with over 70 new aircraft types with more being expected as well as the current security environment.
According to the CAS, “Only a carefully thought-out strategy guided by a strong philosophy can adequately situate the NAF to address the Nation’s security challenges.” Consequently, the CAS revealed that his command philosophy intends to, “To transform the NAF into an agile and resilient force that effectively meets the airpower demands of national security in all operational environments. To translate his philosophy into tangible gains on ground, the CAS stated that he will leverage on technology, innovation, lessons learnt as well as the personnel and fleets at his disposal to effectively checkmate the security threats confronting the nation. These are aside the 5 key enablers that he believed will drive his philosophy to fruition.
