By Amos Tauna
Determined to curb the activities of insurgency in the country, The 64 Regular Course Army and 65 Regular Course Navy and Air Force cadets of Nigerian Defence Academy, NDA, were subjected to three weeks practical and special warfare training to fight insurgency in the country.
The final battle inoculation exercise, which involves firing of live ammunitions of various weapons at Combat Team Level on selected targets, was designed to expose the officer cadets to real battle situation.
Speaking as the Guest of Honour at the closing of the three weeks training at Kachia, Kaduna State on Saturday, the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Baba Abubakar, asked the cadets to be patriotic and courageous, as they would join the armed forces in the fight against insurgency next month.
According to the Chief of Air Staff, the training had adequately prepared the cadets to contribute effectively the fight against insurgency and other threats confronting the country.
Represented by the Air Officer Commanding, AOC, Training Command, Kaduna, Air Vice Marshal, C. E Okoye, the Chief of Air Staff said, “Nigeria is contending with insurgency and various other threats to its security and development.
“The armed forces of Nigeria have been in the forefront of the fight against these threats to Nigeria’s wellbeing. The training you have received has prepared you to adequately to contribute effectively to this fight.
“I urge you therefore to go forward with patriotic fervor and courage to discharge your duty to the country in whatever way you may be called to do so.
“As you look forward to passing out of the academy come 16 September, 2017, permit me to remind you of zero tolerance to all acts of indiscipline. Hence, you need to exercise extra caution and discipline for the days ahead, so that your hopes of earning a Presidential Commission are not dashed.”
Air Marshal Abubakar commended the Commandant of the academy, Major General Mohammed T. Ibrahim for improving on the standard of training imparted to the officer cadets.
Earlier, the Academy’s Director of Military Training, DMT, Brigadier General M. G Kangye, said that the training code-named ‘Exercise Camp Highland’ was the final field training exercise for passing out army cadets, designed to examine their understanding of operational, administrative and logistic concepts they were taught in the academy.
He said the exercise was used for the assessment of the cadets’ suitability for commission into the armed forces as Combatant Officers.
Explaining the content of the training, General Kangye said while in Jos, where the exercise commenced, the cadets went through various aspects of leadership training such as adventure and confidence building as well as practical application of map reading.
He added, “The tactical phase of the exercise took place in the general areas of Korot, Kadunu, Bankin Kogi, and Gindiri also in Plateau State.
“The cadets moved to Kachia on 29 July, 2017 and went through field firing, live grenade throwing and now the battle inoculation, which is the climax of Exercise Camp Highland.”
