The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has graduated another batch of Special Forces (SF) and Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR) personnel.
The combined graduation ceremony, which took place Saturday, at the Regiment Training Centre (RTC) Annex in Bauchi, comprised 162 students of the SF Course 7/2020 and 41 trainees of CSAR Course 3/2020.
The graduating SF Course is the ninth set to be trained by the NAF in the last five years, having conducted seven SF Courses and two SF Instructors’ Courses, while the graduating CSAR Course is the third batch, following the graduation of the second set in May 2020.
Speaking during the ceremony, the Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, charged the graduating participants to bring to bear the professional skills acquired, in the ongoing campaign to restore normalcy to restive parts of the country.
According to him, the personnel were graduating at a time when the NAF and indeed the nation were in dire need of their special skills.
“Your job will not be an easy one as you would be required to operate under austere conditions and in hostile environments to ensure that the NAF achieves its objectives”, he said.
He further stated that, in order to bridge the capability gap in SF and CSAR operations, the NAF established the Special Operations Command (SOC) with its Headquarters in Bauchi and Quick Response Groups/Wings (QRG/QRW) in Gusau, Owerri, Ipetu-Ijesha, Daura, Birnin Gwari, Agatu, Gembu and Lafia, amongst others.
Speaking further, the CAS noted that the service recently activated the 203 Combat Reconnaissance Group in Gombe and 215 Forward Operating Base, Funtua, the establishment of which was approved earlier this month, for enhanced capability in providing timely and actionable intelligence to further contain insecurity in the country.
Air Marshal Abubakar disclosed that the NAF had, subsequently, trained over 1,200 personnel both overseas and locally in its bid to generate SF and CSAR teams to man the established units.
He expressed his gratitude to the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, President Muhammadu Buhari, for the priority attention given to the operational and other requirements of the NAF.
“We therefore assure Mr President of our unalloyed loyalty and reiterate our commitment to continue to support the Federal Government in its policy thrust of providing security, improving the economy and fighting corruption in our dear country”, he reiterated.
Earlier his welcome address, AOC GTC expressed gratitude to the CAS for the tremendous support as well as the landmark infrastructural facilities emplaced in units within the Command’s Area of Responsibility (AOR).
These, he said, included Swimming Pools for training of SF personnel at Kaduna and Bauchi; a 40-Foot Rappelling Tower and Standard Obstacle Course for SF training in Bauchi; a new Commando Village for CSAR training at Ipetu-Ijesha as well as a newly-completed Administrative Block for the Air Provost Training Centre (APTC) and new, well-equipped Medical Centre at 205 CSARG Kerang, Plateau State.
He disclosed that out of the 357 Regiment and Intelligence personnel screened for SF Course 7/2020, only 219 were inaugurated to commence the course, while 162 personnel, comprising nine officers, 144 airmen and 9 airwomen graduated.
Similarly, he said the CSAR had 41 graduating students out of the 60 personnel that were inaugurated.
