🇳🇬 Nigerian Army Strengthens Operational Leadership As COAS Inaugurates Army War College Course 10/2026

The Nigerian Army has reinforced its operational-level leadership pipeline with the inauguration of Course 10/2026 at the Army War College Nigeria (AWCN), as the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu, charged senior officers to embrace innovation, jointness, and indigenous solutions in confronting evolving security threats.  

Desk: Defence & Security

Date: Friday, 13 February 2026

Time: 12:15 WAT

Location: Abuja, Nigeria

 

The course, inauguration took place at the Army War College in Abuja with participants comprising officers from the rank of Lieutenant Colonel to Colonel, is designed to enhance strategic thinking, operational command competence, and multi-agency coordination.

The COAS emphasised that the College remains central to transforming the Nigerian Army into a more professional, adaptable, combat-ready, and resilient force capable of decisively discharging its constitutional responsibilities within a joint and multi-agency environment. He underscored the importance of intellectual depth, research, and innovation in addressing contemporary and future security challenges.

 

According to a statement issued by the Director Army Public Relations, Colonel Appolonia Anele, Lieutenant General Shaibu highlighted the College’s evolution since its establishment in 2017 as a centre of excellence in operational art, military strategy, and national security studies. He urged participants to maximise the course to sharpen leadership capacity, broaden strategic perspectives, and deepen understanding of complex warfare environments.

 

The COAS noted that the inaugural lecture titled “Harnessing Indigenous Technology Innovations For Enhanced National Defence” aligns with the Nigerian Army’s transformational drive, stressing that operational-level commanders must foster innovation within their formations and articulate research and development priorities that strengthen national defence capabilities.

 

Also speaking at the event, the Commandant of the Army War College Nigeria, Major General Umar Alkali, described the inauguration as a critical milestone in shaping operational-level leaders capable of bridging the gap between tactics and strategy. He stated that the College provides an enabling intellectual environment where officers interrogate complex security realities and develop clarity in decision-making within volatile operational theatres.

 

Major General Alkali explained that the seven-month course is structured across eight modules delivered in three terms, examining military strategic leadership, operational art, campaign planning, national security organisation, interagency coordination, peace support operations, and systems thinking. He emphasised that the diversity of participants would enrich debate and strengthen future operational collaboration across services and agencies.

 

The inaugurated Course 10/2026 comprises 100 participants, including 85 officers of the Nigerian Army, two officers of the Nigerian Navy, and two officers of the Nigerian Air Force. The course also includes allied officers from friendly nations: one each from Botswana, Chad, Guinea, Liberia, and the Republic of Congo, as well as two officers each from Cameroon, Ghana, and South Africa.

 

The College for the first time admitted its first female participant an allied officer from the Republic of South Africa marking a significant milestone in institutional inclusivity and multinational engagement. Participants will undertake lectures, seminars, operational research tasks, study visits to theatres of operation, and a joint operations planning exercise conducted in collaboration with the Naval and Air War Colleges as well as the National Defence College under the guidance of Defence Headquarters.

 

He stated that the College’s Socratic inquiry model encourages critical thinking, structured debate, and the rigorous examination of complex strategic problems rather than simplistic consensus. The inauguration of Course 10/2026 signals the Nigerian Army’s sustained investment in intellectual capital, professional military education, defence diplomacy, and joint operational readiness as part of broader efforts to enhance national security resilience.

 

FACT-CHECK & BACKGROUND CONTEXT

 

The Army War College Nigeria (AWCN), established in 2017, is the apex operational-level training institution of the Nigerian Army. It prepares senior officers for higher command and staff responsibilities within joint, interagency, and multinational environments. The Fellowship of the Army War College Nigeria represents the highest formal military education qualification within the Service.

 

Professional Military Education (PME) at the operational level is globally recognised as critical to improving command effectiveness, interoperability, and strategic planning capacity. International partnerships with institutions such as the United States Army War College and the British Military Advisory and Training Team support faculty development and advanced operational studies at AWCN.

🏷️Tags: Defence, Nigeria, Nigerian Army, Army War College Nigeria, Professional Military Education, National Security, Defence Diplomacy

#Defence #NigerianArmy #AWCN #PME #NationalSecurity #DefenceDiplomacy #Abuja

 

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