Army has acquired electronic warfare capabilities — COAS

 

The Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja, has said that the Nigerian Army has acquired electronic warfare capabilities and is now taking advantage of the convergence of electronic and cyber warfare.

Lagbaja said this on Monday in Abuja, at the opening of the Maiden Cyber Security Workshop of the Nigerian Army Cyber Warfare School.

The theme of the workshop is, “Role of Information Technology to national security against upcoming threats and cyber-attacks.”

Represented by the Deputy Director-General, Nigerian Army Heritage and Future Centre, Maj.-Gen. Sanusi Dahiru, Lagbaja said the Nigerian Army had in the past, made very limited inroads in its attempt at acquiring electronic warfare capabilities.

He said the limitation, which was primarily due to the high cost of devices and the limited technical know-how within the army, had been overcome.

“This is because ICT networks are also dependent upon the myriad properties of the Electro Magnetic Spectrum for their essential connectivity in cyberspace, an environment where a number of actors operate to create exponential effects when compared to other domains.

“I therefore urge the school to hold and expand this collaboration until we find the ability to play the role of second eleven in this field.

“The workshop should not only focus on cybersecurity but should include cyber warfare, as this will equip the Nigerian Army with expertise and knowledge of integrating cybersecurity into military doctrine and tactics as well as exploring the role of cyber warfare in contemporary military operations,” he said.

Lagbaja stated that cyber threats could come from many sources, including foreign organisations, hacktivist, governments, groups, criminals as well as individuals, adding that cyber-attacks were increasingly targeting critical infrastructure such as power grids, financial systems, healthcare organisations and government networks.

He added that Nigeria, like other modern societies, was overwhelmingly reliant on cyberspace for its activities, as it had become an emerging theatre of operations and would undoubtedly be contested in future conflicts.

“It is for this reason that the Nigerian Army Cyber Warfare Command (NACWC) and NACWS were established to curb the threats posed by this domain.

“We therefore need to rally around to ensure this initiative is effective and efficient, besides the need to protect the huge investments made so far.

“I am particularly pleased with the drive of the school in using its tools not only as a means of academic excellence but as a viable means of proffering solutions to contemporary and future security challenges which is in line with the sustainment of my command philosophy for the Nigerian Army.

“For all the participants, you must use this singular opportunity to learn as much as you can, open up new vistas and perspectives so that we can achieve landmark results for the army and the nation at large,” he said.

The COAS thanked President Bola Tinubu for his support and pledged that the army would continue to remain apolitical, professional, and ever-ready to accomplish assigned missions within a joint environment in defence of Nigeria.

Earlier, the Commandant, NACWS, Brig.-Gen. Abdullahi Ahmad said that the school was established to build the capacity of army personnel with the ability to curtail excesses in the cyber domain and the threat posed by its existence to current and future operations.

Ahmad explained that the threats posed by terrorists and other criminal elements to exploit cyberspace and the Nigerian Army Information and Communications systems necessitate the establishment of NACWS.

He added that the workshop was designed to expose the school to a comprehensive knowledge of modern trends in cybersecurity and, indeed, cyber warfare.

He said that the workshop was to also create a forum for erudite scholars, relevant stakeholders, and indeed the army eggheads, both serving and retired, in the field of cybersecurity to share their perspectives on selected topics for the school to gather honest inputs towards achieving its mandate.

According to him, the NACWS is of the view that this is one way of ensuring the attainment of the COAS command philosophy.

The philosophy is “to transform the Nigerian Army into a well-trained, equipped, and highly motivated force towards achieving our constitutional responsibilities within a joint environment”.

The weeklong event will feature lectures on topics such as “Integrating cybersecurity into military doctrine and tactics from both military and academic perspectives, among others.”