The Nigerian Army Director Public Relations, Brigadier General Onyema Nwachukwu has said that, “the Chief of Army Staff(COAS) Lieutenant General Faruk Yahaya has urged officers and soldiers of the Nigerian Army (NA) to extensively deploy simulation technologies for capacity building and force multiplication in aid to ongoing military operations across the country. He gave the charge yesterday, Monday 26 July 2021, while declaring open a 5 day Simulation Excercise codenamed EX LION HEART at the Land Forces Simulation Centre Nigeria, Giri, Abuja”.
The Director said, the COAS represented by the Director of Courses, Department of Training(Army), Brigadier General Ibikunle Ajose said the exercise is in line with his vision for the Nigerian Army, which is to have, ” *A Professional Nigerian Army Ready to Accomplish Assigned Missions within a Joint Environment in Defence of Nigeria.”*
The statement said the COAS commended the Centre for collaborating with relevant organisations and agencies with wealth of experience in simulation technology to fast track its development.
“The COAS appreciated the support of MASA Group and Bohemia Interactive Simulation, which he said availed the centre trial versions of MASA Simulated War gaming for Operational Readiness and Doctrine (SWORD) and the Virtual Battle Space Series 4 software, respectively. He assured the Centre of requisite administrative and logistics support to make it a centre of international repute”.
In his address, the Director General Land Forces Simulation Centre Nigeria, Major General Felix Omoigui said the exercise, which is jointly organised with the Defence Simulation Centre Jaji is aimed at enhancing the capacity of the technical staff of the centres and sister security services for operational planning and decision making.
According to him, the exercise will equally sharpen the skills of personnel of the centres and the Nigerian Army in the newly acquired simulation software. He added that the joint exercise will further build capacity on the use of the MASA SWORD software. He expressed gratitude to the COAS for his support to the centre and for providing the needed logistics for the exercise.
The event had in attendance senior officers both serving and retired, participants drawn from various formations and units of the Nigerian Army and other security agencies.
Highpoint of the event was the presentation of souvenir to the COAS.
