The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) conducted a Joint Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR), Special Forces (SF) and Air Police K-9 Simulation Exercise (JCSAEX) at Rijana Village along the Kaduna-Abuja highway.
The Director of Public Relations and Information, NAF headquarters, AVM Ibikunle Daramola, disclosed this in a statement on Saturday in Abuja.
The Exercise, code-named “TAIMAKO YAZO”, was aimed at simulating tactics, doctrine and synergy amongst first responders for effective CSAR operations of downed aircrew or other NAF personnel who were to abandon their aircraft in emergency situations.
According to him, the ability to rescue crew from hostile environments is particularly important as it can be adapted for anti-kidnapping operations as was recently done by NAF.
This, he said, was done in concert with other security agencies in the rescue of the kidnapped boys of Government Science Secondary School Kankara, Katsina State.
The Chief of Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, stated that the overall desire of NAF was to ensure that personnel were trained and equipped to maintain very high levels of combat readiness and operational effectiveness.
“This is In a bid to better reposition NAF SF through robust capacity building for more effective response to the various security challenges bedeviling the country.
“Especially in the areas of counter-terrorism, airport security and anti-banditry operations, NAF in 2019 conducted several counter-terrorism exercises in Kaduna, Kano, Niger and Osun,” he said.
The CAS noted that the importance of training to a fighting force like NAF cannot be over emphasised as regular purposeful training remained the cornerstone of military combat readiness. “It is in realisation of this that NAF ensures that its personnel are mentally alert and physically fit at all times, through regular training and exercises so we remain continually willing, able and ready to defend the nation.”
Abubakar also noted that through today’s modern weapons systems, it is the personnel with competence that would make the difference in any current or future conflict situations.
This philosophy, he said, had been incorporated into NAF policies and regulations so that every personnel maintains a high level of combat readiness to ensure efficiency and effectiveness in conducting wide spectrum of military operations.
CAS highlighted that the quest to achieve professionalism, service members were subjected to excruciatingly difficult training procedures and exposed to various terrain conditions to enable them develop and sustain a high level of combat effectiveness.
“This, no doubt, will help our personnel perform at the highest standards throughout their career,” he said.
Abubakar further remarked that the timing for the conduct of the exercise was apt as it readily tests the combat and physical readiness of NAF personnel to face the very difficult security challenges currently confronting the Nation.
He expressed satisfaction with the exercise, noting that the resources being expended on a daily basis to ensure that NAF personnel acquired requisite skills and training needed to conduct operations successfully were yielding tangible results.
“I’m highly impressed with the exercise in terms of coordination between the air and ground elements. Security is not only about bullets, bombs and rockets, it is about everybody putting hands on deck to ensure that the country is secured.
