CDS inaugurates committee to reform the military

By OKOSUN OKHUELEIGBE

The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Gabriel Olonisakin in Abuja on Wednesday, inaugurated a 10-member committee to study the doctrines and procedures of the military and come up with workable plans to renew the Armed Forces of Nigeria (AFN).

The committee is expected to identify urgent measures and recommend short, medium and long term reforms needed to reinvigorate AFN’s professionalism.

It was gathered that the committee’s suggestions would be used to enhance Nigerian military’s performance in the current security challenges in the country, especially, in the North East.

According to the Acting Director Defence Information, Group Captain WAP Maigida
outlined the terms of reference to include: to re-appraise previous AFN’s transformation activities and suggest options for realistic reforms, to determine ways of improving on operational efficiency in the services, to examine ways of fostering mission-oriented training in the armed forces.

Others include to evaluate the foreign courses that are currently attended by AFN personnel and suggest ways of ensuring that such courses tally with desired milestones, consider measures for improving on troops adherence to Law of Armed Conflicts in Internal Security and Peace Support Operations.

Also, the committee will determine impediments to effective logistics support and recommend the way forward, identify current constabulary engagements of the AFN that could be relinquished to the Nigerian Police and other paramilitary organizations, examine ways of fostering value orientation of service personnel through nationalism and the promotion of services’ core values, and suggest ways of improving on career planning in the AFN.

Maigida added that the Committee will also take a critical look at personnel welfare, civil-military relations, policy formulation and implementation, media operations, participation in United Nations/African Union/ECOWAS missions, personnel spouses and barrack youths, plights of ex-service men, career review and national development.

The Committee which may also consider other matters that may result in reforms that would reinvigorate the AFN, is empowered to seek inputs from the Service Headquarters, serving and retired senior officers, relevant MDAs and other stakeholders to enrich its recommendations.

The committee is expected to submit its reports on the 16 November, 2015.