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

Received: 7 December 2020     Accepted: 13 January 2021     Published: 26 August 2021
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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.

Published in Science Journal of Circuits, Systems and Signal Processing (Volume 10, Issue 2)
DOI 10.11648/j.cssp.20211002.12
Page(s) 38-52
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2021. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Decentralization, Commandand Control, Drone, Airpowe, Battlefield Forces, Reconnaissance, ISR, Battlefield Operating System

References
[1] Ian Horwood, 2006. Interservice Rivalry and Air Power in the Vietnam War. Combat Studies Institute Press Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.
[2] Goldberg Alfred, and Lt. Col Smith Donald, 1971. Army-Air Force Relation: Close Air Support Issue, A Report Prepared for the United States Air Force Project Rand, Rand Santa Monica, CA 90406.
[3] Major Gerber K. David, 1999. Adaptive Command and Control of Theater Airpower, School of Advanced Airpower Studies, Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama.
[4] Krishnan Armin, 2015. Mass Surveillance, Drones, and Unconventional Warfare, Behemoth a Journal on Civilization, Volume 8 Issue No. 2.
[5] Lester W. Grau and Charles K. Bartles, 2018. Changing Character of War, Centre Pembroke College, University of Oxford, With Axel and Margaret Ax: son Johnson Foundation.
[6] MAJOR Brian P. O’Neill, 2011. The Four Forces Airpower Theory: a Monograph, School of Advanced Military Studies United States Army Command and General Staff College Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.
[7] Jahara Matisek and Jon McPhilamy, 2018. Why Airpower Needs Landpower, Modern War Institute, West Point.
[8] Clausewitz, Carl Von (1780–1831), On war, Azar Gat.
[9] Arthur William Tedder, 1948, AirPower in War. London: Hodder and Stoughton.
[10] Meilinger S. Philip, 1995. 10 Proposition Regarding Air Power, Air Force History Museums Program.
[11] Sabin Philip, 2017. AirPower in Asymmetric Warfare, International Forum on War History: Proceedings.
[12] Ibili Celestine N., 2019. Countering Threat Networks in Nigeria’s Geopolitical Sphere: Libyan vacuum, and cultural intelligence as a panacea, Academia.com.
[13] Usman A. Tar, and Adejoh Sunday, 2017. Military Alliance and Counter-Terrorism in Sub-Saharan Africa: The Multi-National Joint Task Force in Perspective, Covenant University Journal of Politics & International Affairs. Vol. 5 No. 2, Dec. 2017.
[14] Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria [Nigeria], Act No. 24, 5 May 1999, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/44e344fa4.html [accessed 31 December 2020].
[15] Armed Forces Act, CAP A20 LFN 2004.
[16] Fulan Nasrullah, 2019. Assessing the Nigerian Air Power Employment in Counter Insurgency Operations. Conflict Studies and Analysis Project.
[17] Bartley Michael L., 2002. Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicles: A Close Air Support Alternative. Air War College Resident Program Air University Maxwell AFB AL.
[18] Major Edwards, Jr. O. Lennie, 1990. A Role for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles on the Modern Tactical Battlefield: Monograph, School of Advanced Military Studies United States Army Command and General Staff College Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.
[19] Bergen, P. L., Rothenberg, D., 2014. Drone Wars: Transforming Conflict, Law, and Policy. Cambridge University Press, New York, NY.
[20] U.S Joint Force Command, 2019. Joint Publication 3-17: Air Mobility Operation, Joint Doctrine Command, Department of Defense, USA.
[21] Lester W. Grau and Charles K. Bartles, 2018. The Russian Reconnaissance Fire Complex Comes of Age, Changing Character of War Centre Pembroke College, University of Oxford With Axel and Margaret Ax: son Johnson Foundation.
[22] Hammond, G. T., 2001. The mind of war. John Boyd and American Security. Washington: Smithsonian Press.
[23] Jensen, E. & Brehmer, B., 2005. Sense-making in the fog of war. An experimental study of how command teams arrive at a basis for action. Paper submitted to the 10th Command and Control Research and Technology Symposium McLean, VA, June 13-16.
[24] US Army, 1993. FM 41-10: Civil Affairs Operation, US Army Publication, Department of the Army, USA.
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  • APA Style

    Ibili Celestine. (2021). Decentralization of Nigeria Air Power: Army’s Drone (UCAV) Reconnaissance, Strike/Fire Complex Combat System. Science Journal of Circuits, Systems and Signal Processing, 10(2), 38-52. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.cssp.20211002.12

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    ACS Style

    Ibili Celestine. Decentralization of Nigeria Air Power: Army’s Drone (UCAV) Reconnaissance, Strike/Fire Complex Combat System. Sci. J. Circuits Syst. Signal Process. 2021, 10(2), 38-52. doi: 10.11648/j.cssp.20211002.12

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    AMA Style

    Ibili Celestine. Decentralization of Nigeria Air Power: Army’s Drone (UCAV) Reconnaissance, Strike/Fire Complex Combat System. Sci J Circuits Syst Signal Process. 2021;10(2):38-52. doi: 10.11648/j.cssp.20211002.12

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  • @article{10.11648/j.cssp.20211002.12,
      author = {Ibili Celestine},
      title = {Decentralization of Nigeria Air Power: Army’s Drone (UCAV) Reconnaissance, Strike/Fire Complex Combat System},
      journal = {Science Journal of Circuits, Systems and Signal Processing},
      volume = {10},
      number = {2},
      pages = {38-52},
      doi = {10.11648/j.cssp.20211002.12},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.cssp.20211002.12},
      eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.cssp.20211002.12},
      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.},
     year = {2021}
    }
    

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Author Information
  • Department of Political Science, and History and Strategic Studies, University of Lagos, Lagos, Nigeria

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