COAS Commissions Wargaming Centre to Enhance Military Preparedness

By Zainab Uzomah|Abuja

The Nigerian Army has inaugurated a state-of-the-art Wargaming Centre at the Army War College Nigeria (AWCN), Asokoro, Abuja, to strengthen strategic planning, operational analysis and military decision-making in response to emerging security challenges.

The facility was commissioned on Thursday by the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu, as part of efforts to enhance professional military education and build a more adaptive and combat-ready force.

According to a statement signed by the Acting Director of Army Public Relations, Colonel Appolonia Anele, the Army Chief described the centre as a major investment in institutional capacity development, noting that the evolving security environment requires commanders who are strategically minded and capable of making sound decisions under pressure.

Shaibu said wargaming provides military leaders with the opportunity to anticipate threats, assess operational options and develop effective responses to complex security scenarios before they occur.

He added that the facility would serve as a strategic hub for operational experimentation, joint planning and the development of innovative solutions to national security challenges.

The COAS also acknowledged the contributions of his predecessors to the project and commended the commandant and faculty of the Army War College for acquiring advanced wargaming expertise through collaboration with allied military institutions ahead of the completion of the centre.

Earlier, the Commandant of the Army War College Nigeria, Major General Umar Alkali, said the facility would provide a realistic training environment where participants can test campaign plans, evaluate force employment concepts, examine alternative courses of action and assess the implications of strategic decisions through manual and computer-assisted wargames.

He noted that the centre would also facilitate the integration of land, maritime, air, cyber and information domains into joint operational scenarios, thereby enhancing interoperability among the Armed Forces of Nigeria.

Alkali added that beyond training, the centre is designed to support doctrine development, operational research, concept validation and strategic-level analysis.

The newly commissioned facility comprises two large wargaming halls, four exercise rooms, three theatre laboratories, 10 syndicate rooms, a conference room, a library, a digital server room and other supporting infrastructure.

The Nigerian Army said the centre is expected to improve its capacity to anticipate future threats, develop effective response strategies and contribute to the achievement of Nigeria’s national security objectives.