The Nigerian Army is exploring the possibility of developing a cyber warfare command to defend the country from cyber terrorism and other cyber vices while also aiding other military divisions with technological and online infrastructure for their operations.
The Nigerian Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Tukur Yusuf Buratai has approved the establishment of the Nigerian Army Cyber Warfare Command. A spokesperson for the Nigerian Army disclosed through an email that the highly technical Command would be initially composed of 150 ICT specially trained officers and men drawn from all the Corps and Services in the Nigerian Army. In that regard, the Nigerian army has acquired state of the art technical equipment, servers have been procured and experts from IBM are currently configuring them to meet the needs of the Nigerian Army to track monitor and carry out ‘Distributed Denial of Service’ to criminals, terrorist and subversive elements.
It will also be expected to provide real-time information to fighting troops and commanders in the field from the highly sophisticated equipment so far installed to checkmate the counter terrorism fight, herdsmen/militia killings, armed banditry, pipeline vandalism among others.
“The Headquarters of the Cyber Warfare Command would be in Abuja even as it would also have other units in each of the geo-political zones” a source said adding that “It is the first of its kind in Africa”.
The cyber command would monitor the Nigerian Army’s networks and advise Field Commanders on how to use the newly procured computer based weapons systems recently inducted to the Theatre of Operations would also have capacity to protect the Nations Critical Infrastructure.
“Plans have been concluded to send officers and soldiers of the command to attend various courses in Countries like US, Russia and the UK.”
According to Fredrick a member of the Nigerian Army Resource Centre, he said on Medium that; “To all intent and purposes, military warfare and operation are becoming dependent on digital assets, thus the emergence of the cyberspace as the fifth dimension to military warfare after land, sea, air and space.”
He is of the opinion that like on the battle field, military equipment’s like armoured tanks, bomber aircraft and heavy artillery may no longer be the ultimate for victory in future war. The battle field is evolving to the cyberspace where strategy, keyboards, programs and gleaming computer screens will forms the ultimate wherewithal for victory in future war.
He believes that the Nigerian Army with the help of Defence Space Administration (DSA) could set up the Nigerian Army Cyber Command which it’s sole responsibility will be to monitor, prevent and respond to any form of Cyber warfare targeted to the Nigerian cyber space.
Twitter @Fredwave
Download the Nigerian Army CYBER WARFARE AND NATIONAL SECURITY publication by Ikerionwu Fredrick
