Decentralization of Nigeria Air Power: Army’s Drone (UCAV) Reconnaissance, Strike/Fire Complex Combat System

Abstract

Military power has been a centerpiece in the negotiation of state formation and geopolitical stability. The business of the arm forces of nations has been from a historical perspective anchored on the defense of its sovereign territorial integrity, and the advancement of national interest afar. The advent of the modern state system has seen a reshape in the way and manner with which war is waged. Central to the changes in the conduct of war is the revolution in military affairs. The introduction of aviation resources to the conduct of war in the 20s speaks volumes of the ever-changing strategic environment. The weapon system of the first and second world wars will no doubt be unimaginable to the strategists of the renaissance era. The age of reason has thus passed different phases; the sky has steadily remain a significant part of the domain of warfare. However, the nature of warfare has not remained stagnant. Airpower, which is the weaponization of aviation resources have passed through various phases. Airpower no doubt emerged in the war toolkit of the symmetric threat environment of the twenties, but its demand in the asymmetric threat environment of the 21st century has led to more innovation in capabilities, nature, and missions, and debate for a policy change in command and control. A debate, whose literatures were all-encompassing in the American discourses on strategy, capability, and operations. This article brings the debate on the changing role of airpower, and the need for more reliance on drones and decentralized command and control between the Airforce and the Army in the current threat environment, from a Nigerian perspective. As the battle against Boko Haram ranges, the need for arm overwatch and arm overmatch that aids maneuvering the battlefield and it gray zones to defeat the terrorism, and guerrilla insurgent groups becomes critical in shaping the northeast theater in the image of the Nigerian positive peace. Therefore, the need for drone ISR and fire/strike capabilities to become organic to surface forces, in tonaid the encirclement and obliteration of enemy through observation, orientation, decision, and actions line of operation, which is the critical role of effective battlefield operating system, a mechanism the theater commander employs combat power towards the destruction or exhuastion of the enemy. It should be noted that this article relied on secondary data collection.