Army Unveils High-Tech Wargaming Centre to Boost Operational Planning, Combat Readiness
The Nigerian Army has commissioned a state-of-the-art Wargaming Centre at the Army War College Nigeria (AWCN) in Asokoro, Abuja, as part of efforts to strengthen strategic planning, operational analysis and decision-making in response to evolving security threats.
The facility was inaugurated on Thursday by the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt.-Gen. Waidi Shaibu, who described the project as a major investment in professional military education and institutional capacity development.
Speaking during the commissioning ceremony, the army chief said the increasingly complex security environment requires military commanders who are not only courageous in combat but also intellectually agile, strategically minded and capable of making sound operational decisions under pressure.
He noted that wargaming has become an indispensable tool for preparing military leaders to anticipate threats, assess multiple operational options and develop effective responses to complex security scenarios before they emerge.
According to Shaibu, the new Wargaming Centre will serve as a strategic hub for operational experimentation, campaign planning and the development of innovative solutions to national security challenges.
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He also acknowledged the contributions of his predecessors for laying the foundation for the project and commended the Commandant of the Army War College Nigeria and members of the faculty for acquiring advanced wargaming expertise through engagements with allied military institutions ahead of the completion of the facility.
Earlier, the Commandant of the Army War College Nigeria, Maj.-Gen. Umar Alkali, expressed appreciation to the Chief of Army Staff for supporting the completion and equipping of the centre with modern wargaming infrastructure.
He said the facility would provide a realistic and intellectually stimulating environment for participants to test campaign plans, evaluate force employment concepts, analyse alternative courses of action and assess the strategic implications of military decisions through both manual and computer-assisted simulations.
Alkali added that the centre would facilitate the integration of land, maritime, air, cyber and information domains into joint operational scenarios, thereby enhancing interoperability and jointness among the Armed Forces of Nigeria.
Beyond training and education, he said the facility is designed to support doctrine development, concept validation, operational research and strategic-level analysis.
The newly commissioned Wargaming Centre 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.
Military authorities said the facility is expected to significantly enhance the Nigerian Army’s ability to anticipate emerging threats, improve operational planning and strengthen its contribution to Nigeria’s national security objectives.
By PRNigeria
